Butterworth Railway Station

Butterworth Railway Station (1 May 2015)


Butterworth Railway Station (GPS: 5.3927, 100.36774; Malay: Stesen Keretapi Butterworth; Mandarin: 北海火车站; Penang Hokkien: Park1 Hai4-eh3 Hoay1chia3cam33) is a major train station and terminus for trains to Penang. If you are heading for Penang Island by rail, this is your rail terminus. Read my article, Arriving in Penang by Train, for details.

The Butterworth Railway Station is located along Jalan Bagan Dalam in Butterworth about 100 meters from Pengkalan Sultan Abdul Halim, the ferry terminal. As of February 2017, the temporary transport terminal for Penang Sentral is sited next to the railway station.

Passenger rail services to Penang began in July 1899, when the railway line was extended from Bukit Mertajam to Perai. This enables train services to commerce all the way from Seremban in 1903, from Johor Bahru in 1901, and on the northern portion, from Padang Besar in 1918. Completion of the railway line to Padang Besar also enables the commencement of rail services from Bangkok's then Thonburi Station to go all the way to Butterworth that same year.

Completion of the now demolished old Butterworth Railway Station in 1967 enabled rail services to extend from Perai to Butterworth, via the old Swing Bridge. That station was opened to the public by the fourth king of Malaysia, Tuanku Ismail Nasiruddin Shah, on 14 September, 1967. It was and still is the only station in the country with a 0 km distance meter, indicating that it is the beginning of the railway line heading north to Padang Besar and heading south to Singapore.

The old railway station was officially closed on 5 August, 2011, to make way for the construction of a new (and present) Butterworth Railway Station. In the interim, the trains to Butterworth stop at a temporary station located about 3 km away, near the KTM Bhd Postal Office. The fully air-conditioned temporary station has a ticketing counter, two VIP lounges, a station master office, a police beat, a surau and toilets.

The rebuilt Butterworth Railway Station reopened to the public in 2014, and began receiving the Electric Train Service on 10 July, 2015. The trains cross Sungai Perai on the new Prai River Swing Bridge to reach the station. As of time of writing (February 2017), there are ETS services to as far south as Gemas in Negeri Sembilan and as far north as Padang Besar in Perlis.

Entrance to the Butterworth Railway Station (1 May 2015)


Entrance porch, Butterworth Railway Station (1 May 2015)


Ground floor common area, Butterworth Railway Station (1 May 2015)


Waiting area, Butterworth Railway Station (1 May 2015)


Ticket counter, Butterworth Railway Station (1 May 2015)


Platform, Butterworth Railway Station (1 May 2015)

Updates

10 July, 2015 KTM launches the Electric Train Service (ETS) from KL Sentral to Padang Besar via Ipoh. The journey takes 4 hours and costs RM81.

26 June, 2015 Poskod.my reports that the electric train service (ETS) will be extended to Butterworth with operations expected to commence in July, 2015. The service will reduce travelling time between Kuala Lumpur to Butterwoth to approximately 3 hours. The express trains are able to operate at a maximum speed of 160 km per hour, and are able to carry 350 passengers. Presently the ETS service between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh runs at a maximum speed of 140 km per hour. The service uses coaches built by CSR Zhuzhou, a China train manufacturer that also builts the Class 92 trains for the KTM Komuter Line.

Once the ETS service to Butterworth is in operation, plans are already underway to extend it to Padang Besar.

6 December, 2014 The Star reports that a three-hour Electric Train Service (ETS) will begin operations from June 2015. The service will be expanded to 10 new coaches from January 2016. This is part of the step taken to provide electric train service between Kuala Lumpur and Padang Besar.

Many commuters complained that the temporary station is inadequate, citing width of platform being half the former one, as well as the roofing not providing enough protection from the elements.

Construction of the new Butterworth Railway Station is going in tandem with the double track electrification project on the Ipoh-Padang Besar railway line. It is expected to be ready by 2014.

Going to the Butterworth Railway Station

If you need to go to the Butterworth Railway Station, this is what you do:

By car from Penang Island by ferry
Upon getting off the ramp at Pengkalan Sultan Abdul Halim, you arrive at your first traffic lights at Jalan Metcher, with the elevated Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) above you. Turn right at the traffic lights to Jalan Bagan Dalam (the road that parallels the BORR) until you reach the junction of Jalan Assumption, where you make a U-turn to go to the other side of Jalan Bagan Dalam. The station is immediately after the Butterworth Post Office.

By car from the BORR/Perai
Exit the BORR at Exit 1702.

By car from the BORR/Bagan Ajam
Esit the BORR at Exit 1703. This takes you to the intersection with Jalan Metcher. Go straight along Jalan Bagan Dalam until you reach the junction of Jalan Assumption, where you make a U-turn to go to the other side of Jalan Bagan Dalam. The station is immediately after the Butterworth Post Office.

Butterworth Railway Station before the renovation

This is how the Butterworth Railway Station looked like, before it was renovated in preparation for the electrification of the railway line from Ipoh to Butterworth.

Butterworth Railway Station (22 October 2006)


Platform level at Butterworth Railway Station (22 October 2006)


Vintage Train at Butterworth Railway Station before the renovation. This train has since been relocated to the Bukit Mertajam Railway Station. (22 October 2006)

The Butterworth Railway Station is on the map of the KTM Electric Train Service.

List of Train Stations in Penang and Train Stations in Malaysia | Back to KTM Electric Train Service