KTMB's MySawasdee Service Set For Return In Q3

KTMB's Butterworth-Hat Yai service, MySawasdee, is planned to launch in the third quarter of this year. The service, which had a successful eight-day trial run beginning on December 29th, is awaiting final approval from Thailand's State Railway (SRT) before full implementation, NST has reported.

More than 70% of the RM45 tickets were sold during the trial run, according to CEO Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin. The train, which departed from Butterworth, also stopped at Bukit Mertajam, Sungai Petani, Alor Star, Arau, and Padang Besar, in addition to Hat Yai.

"For now, we will run the service only on long weekends, long breaks or during the school holidays because this is when demand is high," Rani said in an interview with NST.



The CEO of KTMB stated that because of the overwhelming reaction to the MySawasdee trial run, the Malaysian mail rail operator intends to extend the service beyond Hat Yai to other strategic points in SRT's network.

A return ticket system developed together with SRT that will be implemented in 2026 will enable ETS passengers to use the app to book seats and meals for their trip and earn loyalty points for every purchase, Rani said, highlighting the importance of KTMB and SRT's collaboration in boosting tourism on both sides of the border.

"We are working with merchants on this so that people can accumulate points and redeem them with the merchants," he added.