How to Travel from Sungai Kolok to Malaysia by Land

Planning a trip across the border? You might be wondering if you can just hop on a train from Sungai Kolok straight into Malaysia. While the two countries are right next to each other, the rail connection isn't as simple as you might think .

No direct passenger trains

Even though Sungai Kolok is the southernmost train station in Thailand, there are currently no passenger trains that cross the border into Malaysia .

While there is a physical track connecting Pasir Mas and Sungai Kolok, it is not used for passenger travel . In the past, trains did run to Rantau Panjang on the Malaysian side, but those services have been closed since at least 2013 .

How to cross the border

Since you can't take a train across, you'll need to use road transport. Once you get off at the Sungai Kolok railway station, the border is about 1.3 kilometres away. Most travellers choose to walk or take a motorbike taxi to get there .

After you finish your immigration checks at the border, you will arrive in Rantau Panjang, Malaysia. From there, you can easily catch a local bus or taxi to reach your next stop, such as Kota Bharu .

Connecting to the Malaysian rail network

Once you are in Malaysia, you can head to Pasir Mas, which is the closest Malaysian railway station to the border .

From Pasir Mas, you can jump on the East Coast Line. This line includes the Ekspres Rakyat Timuran, which runs between Tumpat and JB Sentral . If you are planning to head to Kuala Lumpur, you will need to travel to Gemas station first. There, you can switch from the East Coast Line to the West Coast Line to catch an ETS train .