The Malaysian Train System

Malaysia’s KMT (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) trains are, for the most part, decent. The main line runs from Butterworth, across the channel from Penang in the north, to Kuala Lumpur, and south to Johor Bahru, just north of Singapore. Another, dubbed the “Jungle Train”, branches off at Gemas, and runs northeast to Kota Bharu in the state of Kelantan.

For express travel, there are basically two classes of service, “Premier”, which features swivel seats, and “Superior”, at half the price, in which seats are anchored in one direction. All longer trips feature “captive TV”, which means you’ll be subjected to audio and video movies, whether you like it or not. Food cars do not offer beer, and ours was devoid of air-con as well. Restrooms are a bit downmarket, but all have soap, paper, and a working toilet hose with good water pressure. The railbed is often rocky, and the railroad cars sometimes swaying, so a certain degree of agility can be of benefit when using the restrooms.

All-in-all, the experience of getting off the highways was well worthwhile, and the trains are serviceable, although a bit in need of better maintenance.

We suggest you take the train for the pleasure of it, but keep to buses if your schedule is important. Our train from Tampin (the station closest to Melaka) arrived and departed on time, but arrived at Johor Bahru an hour late, even though it was never delayed.

We found KMT’s website (www.ktmb.com.my) to be tough-going, and the user interface was difficult. We recommend you use it to confirm schedules, but call the local train station from your hotel to book the reservation.