Easing Border Checkpoint Congestion: Thai Tourism Industry Urges More Train Services

(Thailand, 14th) With cross-border tourism between southern Thailand and Malaysia continuing to heat up, Thai tourism industry figures are calling on the State Railway of Thailand to increase the number of train services between Hat Yai and Padang Besar to ease border traffic congestion and meet the growing travel demand.

According to the Bangkok Post, Lim Ming Ching, founder of the Songkhla Guide Association and public relations officer for the Southern Thailand Tourism Council, said that tourism in Hat Yai and the entire Songkhla province is booming, mainly due to the large number of visitors from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

He said that every year, from mid-May to early June, a large number of tourists enter Thailand through the Thai-Malaysian border checkpoint in Sadao district, Songkhla province.

This checkpoint, which borders Kedah's Bukit Kayu Hitam, is one of the busiest land crossings between the two countries.

According to Malaysian media reports, about 300,000 people enter Thailand through this checkpoint over the course of these 15 days each year, bringing in tens of billions of baht for local business activities.

However, the surge in tourists has also led to serious traffic congestion at the border. Lim Ming Ching pointed out that travelers often need to wait two to four hours to complete customs procedures, and some people even have to spend the night in their vehicles because they are unable to clear the checkpoint in time.

He said that Malaysian tourism operators have, for many years, consistently suggested to the Thai authorities the expansion of railway services between the two countries, as a more convenient cross-border travel option.

Currently, Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), Malaysia's national railway company, operates railway services from Johor Bahru at the Malaysia-Singapore border, all the way to Padang Besar in Perlis. Padang Besar hosts two adjacent railway stations, one Malaysian and one Thai, serving as a key junction between the two rail networks.

However, despite discussions on increasing train services over the past three years, there has been no significant progress to date.

At present, the State Railway of Thailand operates only six trains daily between Hat Yai and Padang Besar—three northbound and three southbound.

In response, Lim Ming Ching suggests doubling the daily services to twelve, increasing each direction to six trains per day, to provide more travel options and divert traffic from the land checkpoint.

He believes that with the ever-growing demand for cross-border tourism, strengthening rail connections will not only improve travelers' experiences but also further promote the tourism industries and local economies of both Thailand and Malaysia.