Malaysia’s long-awaited electric train service linking KL and JB makes its debut in preview run

[KUALA LUMPUR] Just before dawn broke on Dec 11, Malaysia’s new electric train service (ETS) linking Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru rolled out of the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station on a media preview run, a day ahead of its official launch on Dec 12.

The train is bound for Kempas Baru station in Johor Bahru, where the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will attend the completion and operationalisation ceremony of the service.

In Kuala Lumpur, the platform was buzzing during the 6am departure as officials from Malaysia’s national railway operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) and Transport Ministry boarded the train. The service marks the completion of the long-awaited 192km Gemas-Johor Bahru electrified double-track rail project.

The new six-coach train seats 312 passengers, consisting of five standard coaches and one business-class coach.

There are four toilets, a plug point at every seat, and a dedicated “coach bistro” serving meals onboard.

The business-class coach offers wider seats, its own dedicated toilet, complimentary meals, individual TV displays with free WiFi, movies, a route map and an in-seat meal-ordering system.

There is also a prayer room available for Muslim travellers in one of the middle coaches.

When the 192-km extension project first began in 2017, completion was expected by October 2021, but work was delayed for more than three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and complications in the land acquisition process.

The long-awaited ETS will cut travel time between KL to JB to around 4.5 hours, from five to seven hours by car or bus.

SEE ALSO

First train for JB-Singapore Rapid Transit System unveiled; service to start by December 2026

With the southern electric line finally complete, Malaysia’s rail backbone on the west coast now effectively runs on electrified double track from Padang Besar in the far north to JB.

From Dec 12, four existing KL Sentral-Kluang services will be extended to JB Sentral, offering passengers in the southern state a direct rail link to Kuala Lumpur.

There will be four services daily on the KL Sentral-JB Sentral route: Two departures from KL Sentral (7.45 am and 5.35 pm) and two from JB Sentral (8.40 am and 4.20 pm). Starting from Jan 1, 2026, the first service from KL Sentral will depart at 7.55 am.

KTMB expects strong demand for this route, particularly with the year-end school holidays in Malaysia as well as Singapore, and increasing cross-border traffic from the Republic.

Acting group CEO and Chief Technical Officer Ahmad Nizam Mohamed Amin said in a press release on Dec 8 that the new southern ETS route will significantly improve mobility for Johor residents heading to KL Sentral, before connecting to destinations in the north and on the East Coast. The improved connectivity will also draw more visitors, including those from Singapore, to Johor and elsewhere in Malaysia, giving the tourism industry and economy a boost, he noted.

A normal one-way fare from JB or KL starts from RM82 (S$27). Tickets went on sale at 12:30 am on Dec 9 via the KITS Style mobile app, KTMB kiosks and the operator’s official website. Fares for travel up to end-May 2026 are now available.

To mark the launch, KTMB offered a 30 per cent discount for travel on the southern ETS route between Dec 12 and Jan 11. The launch discount, available for the first 5,000 passengers using the promo code “JBBEST”, was fully redeemed on the first day of ticket sales. THE STRAITS TIMES