Butterworth

Butterworth is the main town on the mainland side of Penang state in Malaysia. It was named after William John Butterworth, governor of the Straits Settlements from 1843-1855. Smaller, more industrial and practical, Butterworth does not have any of the atmosphere which George Town across the Penang Straits has. However, it is an important transportation hub for all train and many bus services which do not go directly to Penang Island.

Butterworth is also the mainland terminal for the Penang Ferry.

By train
is next to the bus and ferry terminal, south of the town centre. It is a major rail terminal for Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railways) ETS and Komuter trains heading south to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and north to Padang Besar on the border with Thailand, where connecting trains to Hat Yai and Bangkok are operated by State Railways of Thailand's. In December 2015, electrifying and double-tracking is completed up to the Thai border. Although overnight express trains to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur were canceled, new ETS and Komuter trains, capable of traveling up to 140 km/h, link Kuala Lumpur in just four hours and Padang Besar in less than two hours.


 * To/from Kuala Lumpur There are five ETS trains traveling to/from Kuala Lumpur. The fair is RM59 or RM79 depends on the service level. Seats on these trains are often sold out, and it is advisable to book in advance either at the KTMB office in the Georgetown ferry terminal, or on-line at KTMB website or other third party booking site such as BusOnlineTicket.com or Easybook.com.
 * To/from Thailand KTMB operates Komuter trains traveling to/from Padang Besar at the Thai border hourly from 05:25 to 21:25. The fair is RM11.40 and travel time is one hour and 50 minutes. From Padang Besar, State Railways of Thailand's operates twice daily shuttle trains to Hat Yai, that costs 80 baht and takes 50 minutes, and once daily express train to Bangkok. Alternatively, there are frequent local buses from the Thai side of the border to Hat Yai. Thai time is ::one hour behind: Malaysian time: check departure time of Thai trains are either in Thai or Malaysian time. Border formalities are done inside the Padang Besar station but there is no ATM or official currency exchange inside the station, and it is advisable to exchange some Thai baht before heading there.  Refer to the KTMB site for schedule.
 * To/from Taiping KTMB also operates Komuter train south towards Taiping. It is also possible to make a connection there to more ETS trains to Kuala Lumpur and further south to Gemas. For schedule, refer to Train36 website

By bus
The is a few metres from the train station, under the highway overpass. Any train station representative can point you in the direction of the bus stop.

Buses go into many destinations throughout the country.
 * To/from Kuala Lumpur - almost hourly, journey takes 5 hours and costs around RM25. If you are in a rush to get to KL, the bus may be your best bet. The journey time can be half as long. Most of the coaches have air-con, as well as other comforts. The buses, in most cases, do not have restrooms. However, the buses make a number of breaks at rest stops, which have restrooms, food and drinks available. Much of the journey is very scenic.


 * Beware of the friendly and helpful touts preying on tourists at the bus station. They aren't selling tickets; they sell a voucher which you later exchange for a ticket, at which stage you'll find you've been overcharged by several ringgit.


 * Kuala Perlis, RM50, three times per day.



By road
City is accessible by the Butterworth Outer Ring Road and the Butterworth–Kulim Expressway, the latter is part of the North–South Expressway.

By boat
The much-loved Penang ferry departs regularly from the for George Town. The ferry terminal is connected with the railway station and bus terminal via covered walkways. In 2019 there was ongoing building work, making connections a little convoluted: in general, from the train station entrance take a left to the bus terminal, where the ferry terminal may be reached from the first floor, above the buses. Travellers may want to consider using toilets at their hotels or at restaurants as the ferry toilets are infamous for their overuse and offensive odours.

Get around
Rapid Penang - bus service that covers most of the city as well as entire Penang state.

See




Buy
Hypermarkets such as Carrefour and Tesco Extra can be found in Seberang Jaya. Besides, in Seberang Jaya itself, there is a shopping mall called Sunway Carnival Mall. Other shopping complexes such as Megamal are in Perai. Jusco Bandar Perda and the Summit can be found in Bukit Mertajam.

Eat


Many Chinese restaurants are available along the road to the sea



Sleep
Butterworth has few hostels and star-rated hotels serving visitors:



Go next
George Town is the obvious place to go next. Taiping and Alor Setar, in the neighbouring states of Perak and Kedah, are just over an hour's drive away.