How to travel from Singapore to Malaysia by Train for only $5 - Full Train Journey included

Опубликовано: 01 Апрель 2023
на канале: K Y Lo from Hong Kong

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This video shows you how to travel from Singapore to Malaysia by train. Trains to Malaysia depart from the Woodlands Train Checkpoint located at the northern shore of the island and travel to and from Johor Bahru right on the other side of the Strait of Johor in 5 minutes. The service is known as the Shuttle Tebrau and is operated by the KTM, the Keretapi Tanah Melayu or Malayan Railways.

Tickets for the train can be bought online at the KTM website (http://www.ktmb.com.my). Tickets to Johor Bahru Sentral (JB Sentral) cost the equivalent of S$5 in Malaysian Ringgits each (I bought my ticket for RM16.55) and trains back to Singapore cost RM5 each. The fare is cheap and a limited number of trains run each day, so tickets sell out very quickly. I would recommend booking your tickets at least 2 weeks in advance.

The Woodlands Train Checkpoint (also known as the Woodlands CIQ) is very far away from the city centre and places most travellers stay at in Singapore. The cheapest way to get to the checkpoint is by taking the MRT North South Line to Marsiling station. Leave the station via Exit C, turn right and cross the road using the pedestrian footbridge to get to Bus Stop 2. From there, you can take bus routes 856 or 950 to get to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint in under 10 minutes. It is highly recommended that you arrive at the Checkpoint at least an hour before your train departs.

Enter the checkpoint and join the queue. A KTM staff member will indirectly check your ticket by scanning your passport. You will be led to the immigration checkpoint after a short wait, where you will first clear Singapore immigration quickly followed by Malaysian immigration. You will be photographed by Singapore immigration and your fingerprints will be scanned by the authorities of both countries. After having your bags X-rayed by Malaysian customs, you can get on the platform to board the train.

For your information, the train travels in the direction to your left as you get onto the platform. If you would like a view of the road on the Johor-Singapore Causeway, sit on the left side of the train. On the other hand, if you would like to see more of the Strait of Johor, along with the recently built Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House right on the Malaysian shore, sit on the right side of the train.

Once you arrive at JB Sentral, you can go straight up to the concourse, where you may exit the station or change to an onward train. If you are only going on a day trip to Johor Bahru and could not buy a return ticket like I did, you can always walk to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (Sultan Iskandar Complex) right next to the station, clear immigration and take a bus back to Singapore.

The Johor Bahru City Square is also right opposite the station and can be easily accessed by a footbridge, so I went there to go shopping!

The Shuttle Tebrau between Singapore and Malaysia is one of the shortest international train services in the world. Trains used to depart from the Tanjong Pagar railway station in the city centre of Singapore, where passengers could clear immigration of both countries before boarding the train, before the service was terminated and the station ceased operations due to disputes with Malaysia. Hopefully it would be easier to enter Malaysia by train when the RTS Link between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru opens in 2027.