If you’re planning a trip to Malaysia, most cities are only a few hours away from each other. I spent a few days in Kuala Lumpur, then took the KTM train to Penang to spend a few days in Georgetown, Penang Island.

There are a few ways you can get to Penang from KL (bus, train, airplane), but I decided on the train for a few reasons:

• Price: One way tickets between KL↔︎Penang are RM 63-176 (depending on route and cabin class).
• Comfort: There is a restroom on the train, and the trains are air-conditioned. Most buses do not have restrooms.
• Time: The train only takes 3.5-4.5 hours (depending on the route), and you do not have to deal with traffic as with buses. The train left on time and arrived on time. There is rarely any mechanical issues or delays.
• Location: KL Sentral train station is much more centrally located. It is only a 20 minute drive away from Bukit Bintang/the city center, whereas it can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to reach KUL Airport (plus you need to show up early to check bags and go through security). With the train, you only need to show up 30 minutes before the train departure.
• Luggage: You can easily bring on luggage to the train, and there is no restrictions on liquid, weight, etc. as there is with airlines.

Do I recommend the train? Yes! The train ride was very comfortable and it was much easier as I was traveling with luggage. Although the train ride was 4 hours, you make up for that time by not needing to go to KUL.

Booking a ticket

KTM (also sometimes called KTMB) is the train company that runs the intercity trains in Malaysia. To book a ticket online, you can go to the KTMB website. You will need to make an account and provide passport information. You can pay with an international credit card.

The train usually is fully booked, with only a few seats left weeks in advance, especially on weekends. I highly recommend booking your tickets ASAP, especially if you’ve already booked hotel accommodations and/or are traveling on the weekend.

The KTMB website will ask for the start and end destination train stations. The closest train station from Kuala Lumpur’s city center is KL Sentral. If you are planning to go to Georgetown, the destination should be Butterworth (which is the on the mainland side). You will then need to take Grab or a ferry to get to Penang Island to reach Georgetown. More on that HERE.

The daily timetable for the KL Sentral → Butterworth route looks like this. I picked a random date 2 weeks in the future for this screenshot, and there are only a few seats remaining already! The price varies depending on the train duration (how many stops are made). This train route will make several stops between KL and Butterworth, including Ipoh, etc.

You will pick a seat upon booking. You also have the option of Business Class (which will be double the price of a normal ticket). Business Class comes with the added amenities of:

• Ruby Lounge access at KL Sentral
• Larger seats
• Meal service and snacks
• Guaranteed front-facing seat (the seats in business class are rotatable)

I purchased a Business Class ticket as I wanted the guaranteed front-facing seat, and I was traveling with 2 bags (1 large check-in sized bag), so having extra peace of mind was worth the upgrade since the difference was only ~20 USD.

You can determine if your seat is forward facing on your particular route by looking at seat map on KTMB’s website.

You will be provided with an e-ticket upon purchasing. You can either print or have the ticket virtually on your phone, but you will need to scan it to enter the platform, show it on the train, and scan it upon exiting the train station at your destination.

Ruby Lounge at KL Sentral

I purchased a business class ticket, thus this review is for the business class experience.

With business class, you will receive access to the Ruby Lounge at KL Sentral (this is not really advertised on the KTM website, but it’s an extra perk you get!)

You can find the Ruby Lounge on the 2nd floor near Platform 1-2.

Take the elevator to the 2nd floor and you will see the entrance for the Ruby Lounge.

Once you have scanned your ticket to enter, you can relax in the air-conditioned lounge before your train boards.

There is a screen above showing the next trains. The staff will alert you when it is time to board (which is 20 minutes before the departure time).

At the Ruby Lounge, there is air-conditioning, comfortable seats, WiFi, clean bathrooms, filtered drinking water, and a hot drink dispenser.

The lounge overlooks the general waiting area.

There are clean bathrooms with provided tissue in the lounge.

Filtered water dispenser

Hot drink dispenser – white coffee, milo, or teh tarik.

On board (Business Class)

Boarding began 20 minutes before the train departure time. The staff in the Ruby Lounge let us know when we should start heading down to the platform.

The business class seats are super spacious. There is also a footrest.

Tons of legroom.

There’s also a tray table and screen. While there is WiFi, I did not test the speed or reliability of it throughout the whole ride.

You could access the internet on the screen on the train.

Each seat came with a charging port.

In business class, each row has both single and double seats.

There was also a shade you could pull down to avoid the sun from the train window.

Luggage storage

There is plenty of overhead storage for your backpacks or carry-on sized luggage.

Each train car should have overhead luggage storage and additional luggage storage for larger bags. This is the luggage storage in business class (there is also another small area on the other side where 1-2 more large bags could be stored):

If you are traveling with large bags, I recommend upgrading to business class because there are less passengers in the carriage, so you will have a greater chance of having luggage storage for the large bags.

Meal service on the train

With business class, you receive a meal approximately 1 hour into the train ride.

There was only one option provided, which contained chicken. The curry was oily, but was flavorful.

It also came with a snack box which contained wired headphones, orange juice, and salted peanuts.

About 1 hour before the train arrived in Butterworth, I received another snack (sandwich with cheese, mayo, and lettuce). This wasn’t good. 😅

Hot drinks were also served.

Bathroom

There is a bathroom located outside of the business class carriage. It was fairly clean. Soap and tissue was provided. There is only one stall, so you may have to wait.

Non-business class

The regular cabins (Coach B, C, D, E, F) will have less legroom and no personal screen. You can see the full amenities list on the KTMB website here. As business class has 36 seats compared to the ~60 seats in other cabins, you can expect the legroom to be about half as much, and luggage racks will be more filled.

Coach C has a bistro, so you can purchase a meal or snacks. The meals would be similar to the ones received in business class.

Arriving at Butterworth station

When you arrive at Butterworth station, there is only one elevator to get to the main exit, so you may need to wait awhile. There are also stairs, but it is quite a few flights, which can be difficult with luggage.

Once you reach the exits, you’ll need to scan your ticket again.

There is a bathroom on the bottom level of the station, but you should bring your own tissue… and maybe soap.

Getting to Georgetown from Butterworth Station

You have 2 methods of getting to Georgetown:

Ferry
The ferry runs every half hour, at :00 and :30 on the hour. You also have to walk about 10 minutes once you exit the train station to get the ferry (follow the sign for the Ferry once you have scanned your ticket to exit on the same floor). The ferry is only RM 2 per person. You will likely then need to take a Grab from the ferry to your hotel. The pro of the ferry is that you can avoid any potential traffic on the bridge between Georgetown and Butterworth. The ferry is about a 10-15 minute ride.

I personally have not taken the ferry, but I would consider it if I didn’t have luggage.

Grab
Once you exit the train station, you will then need to wait for the elevator again or walk down another few flights of stairs to get to the Grab pickup point.

It may take your driver awhile to get to the pickup spot, as there is only one way in.

Depending on traffic, it may take anywhere from 40 minutes-1 hour to reach Georgetown.

Should I take the ferry or Grab?

If you don’t have luggage, then the ferry may be a better option as you don’t risk being stuck in traffic on the bridge. This will also be cheaper than taking a Grab. However, you have to walk to get to the ferry, and if you just miss the ferry, then you have to wait another half an hour for the next one!

Plus, once you reach Georgetown, you will have to take a Grab to get to your hotel. I personally think with the time it takes to walk, wait for the ferry, and then having to take a Grab anyways to get my hotel, it is easiest to take a Grab from the train station.