#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Malaysia Forum >  >  Malayasian railways update

## mikem

Now that most of the double tracking is done north of KL there are more trains running and there will be more in the future.
Extra trains now from Butterworth to Padang Besar & vv
Butterworth to Ipoh & vv
Butterworth to KL & vv.

There is still the fast, frequent Ipoh -KL service

Trains no longer run to Singapore. They stop at Johore Baru's JB Sentral.

There are a few shuttle trains running from there to Woodlands. Not that good but you avoid the crowd.

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## nidhogg

> Trains no longer run to Singapore. They stop at Johore Baru's JB Sentral.
> 
> There are a few shuttle trains running from there to Woodlands. Not that good but you avoid the crowd.


Interesting.  That train line has been a sore point for Singapore for decades.  The line, and the land on which the tracks lie is (was?) Malaysian.  So there was a little thread of Malaysia running all the way into the heart of Singapore.

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## dirk diggler

The Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project was announced by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib in September 2010 and is proposed to connect Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru with Singapore.[1] On February 19, 2013, Singapore and Malaysia had officially agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore by 2020 at a meeting between Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak in Singapore. [2]

The construction of the railway is expected to start in the third quarter of 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_...igh_Speed_Rail

So 90mins from KL to SG.

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## hazz

> Interesting. That train line has been a sore point for Singapore for decades. The line, and the land on which the tracks lie is (was?) Malaysian. So there was a little thread of Malaysia running all the way into the heart of Singapore.


my first visit to thailand involved catching the train from bangkok-butterworth, butterworth-kl and kl-sg. three days of travelign and very relaxing. Its a shame the last leg has gone.

the animosity between those two nations is something to behold. whilst I was there there was news footage of a political rally in jahor baru where everyone was chanting lets turn teh water off.... as in turn off the raw water supply to sg. my sg host was chick to point out just how stupid this was by pointing out that as part of the deal to get water from malaysia, sg supplied jb with free treated water and what the fools were in effect shouting  was 'lets stop drinking water'.

I can only imaging that sg give malasya an eye watering deal to get that thin strip of land off them.

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## travelguys

We got a train from Malaysia to Singapore a coupls of years ago. Are you sure it's no longer running?

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## dirk diggler

I runs over the bridge to the Singapore Checkpoint.

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## mikem

The Malaysian long distance trains don't continue beyond JB.

There are a few shuttle trains that start at JB then run over to Woodlands in Singapore and return.
New shuttle train service runs 14 trips a day

Starting today (1 July), Singaporeans (and Malaysians) sick of squeezing with everybody else on their Northern Pilgrimage now have another way to visit 

Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), Malaysia’s train provider begins the Woodlands – Johor Bahru shuttle service today. The shuttle service runs 14 times a day (7 times per direction) and costs SGD5 for the trip from Woodlands, and RM5 (SGD1.79) from Johor.

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## mikem

So 90mins from KL to SG.

Not sure it will be that fast but those trains north of KL run a lot faster and smoother than before.

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## mikem

KUALA KANGSAR  Malaysia yesterday started its first electric train service (ETS) linking Kuala Lumpur to the town of Padang Besar at the Thai border.

A one-way trip will take four hours and 45 minutes, and cost RM81 (S$29), officials say. A trip by car from Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar, located in Perlis state, would take at least two hours more. The regular train ride between the capital and Padang Besar takes 10 hours.

The new service will cover 28 stations along its route, including Ipoh. The trains can travel at speeds of up to 160kmh.

That includes the side trip to Butterworth so that quick time from KL to JB looks about right.

Nice new train

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## mikem

KL 9.30 am - Butterworth 13.15 - Padang
Butterworth 7.30 am - Padang

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## mikem

The Shuttle KTM Komuter service for northern states will start operating from September 11, which is this Friday, Bernama reports. This comes after the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) gave the green light.

The three-coach Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains will ply the Kamunting-Butterworth-Gurun route and it will stop at 11 stations, namely Kamunting, Bagan Serai, Parit Buntar, Nibong Tebal, Simpang Ampat, Bukit Mertajam, Bukit Tengah, Butterworth, Tasik Gelugor, Sungai Petani and Gurun. The 144 km route will take two hours end to end.


There will be 12 services daily – six from the Kamunting station and six from the Gurun station. According to KTM’s schedule (pic above), the first train leaves Kamunting station at 5.25am, while at Gurun it’s 5.16am. The last train from both stations depart at 8.25pm and 8.16pm respectively. The interval is three hours. 

Adult fares range from RM1 to 10.50 for a one-way trip and concession fares (50% off) are also being offered to senior citizens, the disabled and children between four and 12 years old. Weekly and monthly passes are available for frequent travellers. 

http://s1.paultan.org/image/2015/09/...ra-850x433.jpg

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## mikem

Kamunting is the stop for Taiping.

Gurun is a nice little town with a very high limestone hill. It also is one end of a canal that runs to Alor Star. Its a bit run down.

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## happynz

That hill behind Gurun is Gunung Jerai - at 1,175 metres the highest point in Kedah. There's a fairly OK resort at the top, The Regency (_something something),_ where the air temp is quite a bit more tolerable than the steamy lowlands at the base.

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## mikem

Penang Ferry Shuttle Bus Service



14 September, 2015


The walk from Butterworth Railway Station or Bus Station to the ferry terminal (Penang Sentral) can be tiring for some with 2 bridges to cross. There is now a free shuttle bus service linking the railway station directly to the ferry fare gates, and from the ferry’s arrival road to the bus station.
Each bus seats 10 passengers, operating at 15 minutes intervals. 6am - 9pm.

The waiting area is just outside the railway station.

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## Lostandfound

I took the train from Singapore to KL in January this year, mistakingly thinking it would be more comfortable for elderly parents than flying.

Almost 7 hours in a dirty air refrigerator sums it up. Tickets were about 150 sd each I think.

The journey was eased by taking along a very nice packed lunch with wine

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## mikem

http://turismomismo.files.wordpress....0/8t5a1203.jpg

https://tropicalexpat.files.wordpres...013/11/2cl.jpg

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## mikem

The top photo is the new train
The bottom photo from January train
They are adding more new trains as they pass the tests.

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## mikem

The top photo is the new train
The bottom photo from January train
They are adding more new trains as they pass the tests.

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## mikem

Most Malaysians and foreigners have enjoyed the RM35 one way KLIA Express fare for the last 14 years and come this 1st January 2016, the KLIA Express ERL Train will have a new ticket price of RM55.00 one way which is a huge RM20.00 increase from old KLIA express price of RM35.00 one way.

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## mikem

Richard Hoskins - Author

That should be KTM website not MTM

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## mikem

Some classic Malaysian business deals here

Both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments have come to a consensus on the alignment of the 330km high-speed rail (HSR) linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, and have decided on two services, one being a direct service linking Kuala Lumpur to the island republic, and another with transit stops in between. “We are envisioning to start with two services – one that will go directly to Singapore, and another that will stop with transit services in Bandar Malaysia, Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat and Nusajaya, and then [across the causeway to] Singapore... even with the stops in between, we will have express services that do not stop,” MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal told The Edge Financial Daily in an exclusive interview. 



Questions over the supposedly high price tag have been raised lately, as about nine years ago, in 2007, conglomerate YTL and its technical partner, Germany’s Siemens AG, put in a proposal to build the HSR or bullet train linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore at a cost of only RM8 billion. How the price of the HSR has escalated to the current level of RM70 billion is not clear.

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## terry57

I do like Train travel but given the cheap cost of flying these days one really only does it if doing short trips or loves to take a train.

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## mikem

Malaysia had to improve the trains to get traffic off the roads.
Passengers and freight.

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## david44

Butterworth more than a one track mined?

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## mikem

There are a few tracks running into Butterworth and a bypass at Bukit Mertajam.

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## mikem

New Thai services linking up with new Malaysian trains

Had Yai 7.30 am &  1.05 pm. 80 baht DRC TO Padang Besar

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## Seekingasylum

> I do like Train travel but given the cheap cost of flying these days one really only does it if doing short trips or loves to take a train.


I took the rail option from Bangkok to Butterworth once, simply for the experience. We returned courtesy of Air Asia. 

The problem is, most of the journey is in darkness and the catering facilities somewhat basic. Luckily, I had the forethought to prepare my own sandwiches but the real kicker was the "first class" sleeping compartment I had booked for our exclusive use - it was at the end of the carriage positioned above the bogies ensuring one of the most miserable nights I have ever spent - clattering, lurching and resounding bumps, thumps and thwacks the entire journey. If I were a young, thrusting lad in the full flower of priapic glory and the wingman of equal vintage, I daresay we could have made a wild night of it but as it was we were reduced to abject, sleep deprived lumps of jelly with thousand yard stares.

I do not recommend it.

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## terry57

^

2 ND clas A/C sleeper is fine, doubt I'll be doing it again though since flights can work out cheaper once one factors in food and drink.

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## mikem

With all Thai AC sleepers there can be a problem if you are above the AC unit

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## mikem

the real kicker was the "first class" sleeping compartment I had booked for our exclusive use - it was at the end of the carriage positioned above the bogies ensuring one of the most miserable nights I have ever spent - clattering, lurching and resounding bumps, thumps and thwacks the entire journey. 

That may just be the track. The southern line is not in good shape and at its worse during and after wet season.

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## terry57

> With all Thai AC sleepers there can be a problem if you are above the AC unit


Pay the extra few Baht and get the bottom bunk with the Window.  It's larger and away from the A/C.

Top bunk is shit.

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## mikem

Top bunk is too small. AC is below the carriage. Bottom bunk in fan is the best bet.

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