Best Kuala Lumpur Weekend Getaway?

Hello everyone, hope you guys are doing well. Are you planning on a short getaway from KL but lazy to drive? Maybe you can consider this.

Join me as I spend 7 hours onboard the RTSM Edisi Utara train from KL Sentral to Butterworth. I will then cross over to Penang Island and spend one night in Georgetown before heading back to KL on the returning train the next day.

RTSM which stands for Railway To See Malaysia is a special tourist excursion train run by KTMB every few weeks or months. The train that I will be taking is the Edisi Utara or “Northern Edition” which travels north from KL to Butterworth. This particular train will depart on the 7th of February and return back to KL on the 8th of February.

My day began with a Grab ride to KL Sentral. I reached KL Sentral around 7.00am which gave me ample time to grab some coffee and snacks for the trip. The trains departs at 8.30am.

After packing some hot Americano from Zus Coffee at NU Sentral, I continue to head towards the waiting area for the train. Passengers started crowding the waiting area by the time I reached with quite a few of foreign tourists as well. While this train is marketed as a tourist train, I believe many use it as an alternative to ETS.

The staff called for RTSM passengers to enter and passengers queued up awaiting their turn to scan their tickets at the machine before entering. I used the QR code from KTMB Kits app to scan at the ticket machine. Upon reaching the platform, there were some confusion because the train was not there. Apparently the train is on the way and will reach within 5 minutes. The train did appear soon and was hauled by 25 class locomotive with AFC (Air-conditioned First Class), ASC (Air-conditioned Second Class), ABC (Air-conditioned Buffet Class) and Chillax coaches. It was so exciting to see the train roll into the platforms slowly, haha.

Before boarding my coach, I walked up to the loco to catch a quick glimpse of it. It’s a very handsome looking loco but it doesn’t sound normal, hmm. Seems to be a little screaming, just so weird. This 25 class locos are currently the most reliable for passenger service.

Just as I was admiring this mighty loco, I noticed everyone rushing back towards the coach, which raised my anxiety level from 1 to 100, haha. I quickly head back to my coach which was the first one after the PGC (Power Generating Car), very convenient. Soon after, I heard the whistles from the platform, signaling to the loco driver and fireman to depart. As the train started moving, the KL Sentral platform started to fade from the lighted area to the area with the lights off, which was kind of spooky.

We were greeted by the morning sun as the train left the platforms of KL Sentral. We will be approaching the majestic Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station which is only few hundreds metres away. The train however does not stop for passengers at this train, which is a shame because the platforms in this station are wayyy better than the KL Sentral ones. The train did stop briefly but that was for the signal as can be seen in my full length video.

The train continued after the signal turned green. As we left the old KL Station, the pretty Kuala Lumpur city skyline can be seen on the right side of the train. Be sure to look out for some landmark buildings like KLCC, KL Tower and Menara Tun Razak.

The first stop after KL Sentral will be Sungai Buloh station which is about 30 minutes away. Those unable to board at KL Sentral due to any reason can still catch the train at Sungai Buloh. KTMB Sungai Buloh station is also connected to MRT Sungai Buloh for easy access. The train did not stay too long, within 3-4 minutes, we started moving again.

The next station was Tanjung Malim which is about 1 hour away from Sungai Buloh. It didn’t feel that long at all, maybe because I was enjoying the view from my window. Tanjung Malim is a small quiet town in the state of Perak. Life here goes in much slower pace than say Kuala Lumpur or Ipoh. Those who enjoy simple lifestyle will really enjoy staying here. The train stopped much longer here because it reached before time and that gave me some time to walk up to the loco.

Oh yeah, forgot to review the seats, haha. I opted for the AFC (Air-conditioned First Class) seats which came with with ample legroom and spacious seats. It was very comfortable but my only complain will be the harder than usual cushions but I’m just nitpicking. The seats cost me RM90 one way and it was totally worth it. Power sockets were also provided for each seat so I did not touch my powerbank throughout this trip, haha.

There are two type of toilet provided, one being the squatting and the other seating toilet. The toilets were maintained very well by the onboard janitors throughout the journey, no complains there. Soap dispensers and tissues were provided on both type of toilet. Both toilets were also equipped with bidet as well.

Okay, all that toilet talk made me hungry, haha, sorry for the bad transition. Food is provided at the ABC (Air-conditioned Buffet Coach). As you can see, there is quite a selection onboard which is impressive. I have provided the menu for your perusal.

After staring at the menu for quite a while—much to everyone’s annoyance—I finally decided on the Nasi Bukhara Daging Kurma, while my other half went with the Nasi Lemak. My dish was kinda bland and the meat portion was too small but the nasi lemak was very tasty. I would definitely recommend the nasi lemak but I do hope they will provide more sambal next time. Just a quick note: none of the food is freshly prepared here. Everything is pre-made and reheated onboard in the kitchen. That’s not a bad thing at all if it’s priced right and taste good. As for the payment, they accept QR and cash but don’t rely on the QR due to spotty mobile coverage along the way. After numerous try due no signal, I gave up on the QR and just paid cash instead.

After my brunch, I head back to my coach to relax before the next big station, which will be Ipoh. Train journeys have a way of giving you the rare luxury of time alone with your thoughts. There’s not much to do except watch the scenery drift by as the train snakes its way through bends and around the mountains. It’s a very good time to ask yourself if everything is alright? If things are good, I’m very happy for you but if things aren’t, I hope everything works out for you, don’t give up.

And just as I was about doze off, we arrived at Ipoh Station. This station has been integrated into the double tracking and electrification project so the facade still looks the same. The interior has been renovated and modernised for passenger comfort. We arrived before time but I can’t remember how many minutes earlier. Note to self, write down arrival and departure time the next time!

There was a crew change at Ipoh who will take over till Butterworth. We left Ipoh right on time. Departing Ipoh Station had a very different feel, with its long platforms and office buildings looming close to the tracks.

After leaving Ipoh, I made my way back to my seat, hoping to relax and maybe catch a short nap. Instead, the train made an unexpected stop at Sungai Siput — a station not listed on the timetable. Perhaps crossing with an oncoming ETS/Komuter Utara train. Crossing on double tracking, rare indeed, only happens if one section of the track has been blocked for maintenance. I did get down but did not manage to get mandatory train shot here, haha. However I did notice a single contrail in the sky and thought that would be a good photo.

Back at my seat again, I managed to squeeze in a short nap before waking up to the sight of Bukit Merah Lake, which we would soon be crossing. The old single track can be seen in the photo below and is in very poor condition. The train sped across the bridge, so there wasn’t much time to see it properly, but do try to catch a glimpse if you’re crossing here.

Back in my comfy seat, I went back to gazing out the window, quietly admiring the scenery along the journey. Soon after we started to approach Butterworth station very slowly. As we crossed Prai railway yard, there was a newly refurbished 24115 class loco and another 25 class loco parked beside each other. Glad to know the 24 class has been refurbished recently and will be continued to use on active duty. Before reaching Butterworth station, we had to cross the swing bridge. As the name suggests, yes, the whole bridge can swing to let taller ships to sail through.

Just like that, the 7 hour journey from KL Sentral came to an end as we arrived at Butterworth station

After saying bye to the loco and platform, I walked along to find the escalator. The lift had a long queue so I continued my search for the escalator. To my surprise, a major station like Butterworth does not have escalators! That’s just crazy and whoever decided on this must have been on something illegal. I took the stairs instead, lucky my luggage wasn’t that heavy.

After scanning my ticket on the ticket machine, I walked towards the ferry terminal because I booked my hotel at Georgetown for the night. The walk took a couple of minutes and if you are curious how did it look, please do watch my video on Youtube.

Upon arriving at the terminal, scanned my credit card at the machine for payment. It cost me only RM2 one way, very reasonable rate. I suppose many locals use it as well, since it serves as a convenient alternative to the Penang bridges.. The machine also accepts QR code from Touch N Go E-wallet.

The new ferry introduced few years back is a much smaller compared to the previous iconic Penang ferry. It was retired due to age and also increasing maintenance issues. The new ferries are catamarans that are also quicker. However the smaller ferry means no vehicles can board unlike the old one. Only passengers and motorbikes allowed.

The ferry has air-conditioned area and as well sitting area outside. It was such a hot day, so I opted to sit inside. The ride didn’t feel that long and soon we arrived at Penang Island. After boarding the ferry, it was quite a long walk to the bus station area which also included a Grab pickup point. The walk was the easy part because booking a driver on Grab was really difficult with many drivers cancelling my ride. Finally a driver accepted but he asked me to walk across the road. I guess drivers avoid this area due the terrible jam on the road leading to the jetty.

The Grab fare to the hotel which is only 12 minutes away was crazy, around RM25 but I guess is due to peak hour. I booked a room at PP Hotel and upon reaching, checked in and took a short nap.

With the evening already getting late, it was time for dinner. I decided to head to Padang Kota Food Court, a large food court offering both halal and non-halal options. I ordered pasembur, satay and mini cheese pizza. You won’t see this in my video because I was too hungry, hahaha.

After wolfing down my dinner, I head towards the Esplanade for a walk along the coastline. It was a very busy night due to being a weekend, which was a little off-putting. After a short walk, I booked another Grab and returned to the hotel to unwind with some Netflix before calling it a night.

Good Morning Penang! Day 2 started early because the train back to KL Sentral is at 12:30PM. The timing of the return train is kinda weird because it doesn’t give passengers enough time to visit Penang.

Feeling hungry in the morning, I wandered around the area in search of local food — but surprisingly, nothing was open. Maybe they only serve lunch and dinner crowd. While walking around I managed to find this Japanese themed cafe called Ondo Bakery. Apparently its actually not from Japan but from Penang, haha. So, it’s still local food? Haha. Got myself a cup of iced Americano and Egg Sandwich. The coffee was good and the sandwich was delicious. The vibe in the cafe was very nice as well but had to leave early to catch my ferry back to Butterworth.

Caught my ferry back and upon reaching the jetty, walked to Penang Sentral to pack some food. Unfortunately nothing much there with the food court only having two shops open. With time running out, I just packed KFC and headed back to the station. Before that, took some shots from the jetty to Penang Sentral:

The walk from Penang Sentral is similar as from the ferry terminal, quite a bit, haha. Managed to get a glimpse of my my train from the walkway near the station entrance. Scanned my ticket and entered the passenger area before taking the lift down to the platform.

The weather throughout the trip was incredibly sunny and bright — perfect for video and photography. I got really lucky, haha.

My train left on time and since my coach is the last one, I had a good view from the window at the back. As we pull away from Butterworth, it feels like the journey back home has officially started.

Just like that, 7 hours flew by and the train arrived back at KL Sentral. Time to alight and head towards the ticket machine to scan out. However, the crowd was huge due to an ETS train arriving at the same time.

There was a mini traffic jam at the machine, so the auxiliary police had to control the crowd. Sadly when it was my turn, the escalator failed and I had to lug my stuff up just like at Butterworth, haha.

Scanned out and time to return home. It was a bittersweet moment because my trip came to an end but at the same time it feels good to be back.

The train itself was very good with comfy seats, clean toilets and a cafeteria that is stocked up with food. My only complain would be the weird return schedule, whereby the train departs from Butterworth at 12.30PM. This gave me very little time to spend in Penang, infact almost no time because I had to leave my hotel by 9:00AM to catch the ferry back. Maybe its due to operations issue because it might clash with ETS or freight trains. I would suggest it would be better if the train departed around 5:00PM instead, this would be perfect with the hotel check out time and also lunch before returning to the station.

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Well, that’s all for now and sorry for extra long post. Hope to catch you guys in my next trip.

Details:

1. Train : RTSM Edisi Utara
2. Date : KL Sentral to Butterworth(7 February 2026) | Butterworth to KL Sentral (8 February 2026)
3. Journey duration : Around 7 hours each way
4. Tickets : Purchase using KTMB Kits Style app.
5. Price : One way RM90 for my AFC ticket. Refer to this for more info.