Penang to Kuala Lumpur

Riding the train to the capital of Malaysia

On the morning we were to leave Penang island, we got a Grabcar to take us from Tanjung Bungah in Penang to the train station in Butterworth (on the mainland). Traffic was heavy and it took just over an hour to get to the station. The fare was M$85, approximately US$19. We were at the station an hour early and sat in the waiting lounge until they directed us to our train fifteen minutes before departure. Announcements were in both English and Malay and I thought the whole process was very efficient. We found our coach, boarded, stored our luggage and were comfortably in our seats ten minutes before the electric platinum service (similar to the one we took from Tanjong Malim to Butterworth three weeks earlier) departed on time at 12:45 PM.

Fifteen minutes later, the stewardess served us a delicious packed lunch of rice and curry with bottled water. After our meal, she cleared up the trays and we reclined our seats and enjoy the four-hour train ride. At around 4:00 PM, an hour before our arrival, we were served tea/coffee, and an assortment of cakes and juice.

As reported in my earlier post, Fraser’s Hill to Penang, passengers enjoyed free WiFi and phone and computer charging points at their seats.

These electric trains are quiet and an easy, comfortable and efficient way to travel. When you factor in the time to check-in and wait at the airport for the hour-long flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur (KL), I find the Malaysian train travel hassle-free and a much more relaxing way to travel on shorter distances.

We arrived at KL Sentral station on schedule at 5:00 PM and were soon on our way in a Grabcar to meet my brother Miles and his wife Glynis at 1 Utama, a mega-mall located in Petaling Jaya (PJ). PJ was once considered a suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Today with all the new building, KL and PJ just seem to blend together into one huge megalopolis. The 30-minute Grabcar ride cost the equivalent of US$6, during which time the driver gave us a…

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