Hi, I am trying to write reviews of places that I have visited. Hope they are helpful to people goin...
Hi, I am trying to write reviews of places that I have visited. Hope they are helpful to people going to those places. I'm currently in university and every single pence helps to finance my travels. Cheers !
Member since:03.10.2005
Reviews:32
Members who trust:4
Having been on so many trains in Europe, I decided to try out the Malaysia-Singapore train during my stay here in Malaysia. This is not the first time I visit Singapore through Malaysia but I have always taken bus or flight so this train experience is new to me.
First of all, let me tell you the differences between these different options. If you take a flight, it is only 50 minutes (excluding time taken to check in which is 2 hours before flight time + 1 hour from Kuala Lumpur city centre to the airport + 30 minutes from Singapore airport to city centre). So, in total, a flight might end up being + - 4 hours 20 minutes. Air fare: Normally RM 880 ( which is about £135)
Alternatively, take a bus from Kuala Lumpur city centre to Singapore city centre. Buses run mainly from Puduraya train station. Beware: This is the place that many tourists will find their wallets/belongings missing due to the high number of professional pickpockets around. My local friends have experienced this too. Some buses
run from Pasar Rakyat in Jalan Imbi which is not known to most tourists. There is also one that runs from the old train station. Bus fare: Ranges from RM 25 to RM 100 one way. (This is about £4 - £16). It takes about 4 hours to get to Singapore but of course it depends on the traffic and also it depends how many stops your bus decides to make on the way. Services on board are normally proportionate to the fare you pay.
Now, train, from Kuala Lumpur city centre main train station to Singapore Tanjung Pagar train station takes 7.5 hours (if there is no delay). The KL Central train station is a new building which I find quite interesting and you also take the Kuala Lumpur International Airport express train from here.
There are three express trains from Kuala lumpur to Singapore. Departing times from Kuala Lumpur is 8.30am, 2.15pm, 10.00pm. I took the 2.15pm train and I have not tried others so I cannot comment over here.
My first class train ticket costs RM 68 (about £10.50) and it comes with a complimentary drink. I booked my tickets online directly from the KTMB website www.ktmb.com.my You only need to print out the tickets and bring it with you. Very convenient. You can select which seats you want if you purchase online.
My train departed promptly at 2.15pm. 30 minutes later after tickets are being checked, I was proceeded by a train crew asking me what I would like to have for my complimentary drink and I chose Nescafe hot drink.
There are 36 seats in a coaches for first class. The seating is 2 + 1 so I chose the single seat. Toilets are located at the end of each cabin.
For second class, there are about 5 coaches. The train fare is half of what you pay for first class and there is no complimentary drink. The seats are also not so comfortable and not so spacious because the seating is 2+2.
The scenery along the way is great and I enjoyed every moment I spent on the train. Before I took the train, I thought it would be a boring ride and there was an instant which I regretted getting train tickets instead of bus since the bus takes only half the time. However, I met a lot of interesting malaysians. The train passed through small towns and each town which it stops at is different from the previous one. When I felt a little bored, I watched films showed on board or read a book. Time flew quickly. There are two TV screens at two ends of each coach, no personal TV.
There is a buffet coach with seatings but i did not try anything onboard. Hot meals sold consist of fried noodles, instant hot noodles, sandwiches etc. I was told the food sold are more expensive onboard so my friend bought me food before I boarded.
One thing that I noticed about the coaches is that the second class seats look newer than the first class seats. The first class seats were made by Hyundai in year 1992 so being more than 10 years old now.
The final stop in Malaysia before going into Singapore is Johor Bahru. Here, the train stops for 15 minutes and passengers going into Singapore will have to stay onboard to wait for immigration officers to come onboard and have all passports checked.
After the immigration, the train goes on to Woodlands Singapore immigration checkpoint. All passengers are required to bring all belongings into the immigration building for Singapore immigration. Passengers for Singapore can alight here or board the train once again to continue the journey to Tanjung Pagar station.
Tanjong Pagar station is about 20 minutes walk away from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. It is advisable to take the taxi from Tanjong Pagar train station to go direct to your hotel as this saves a lot of trouble and taxi is not expensive by UK standard.
Tanjong Pagar station belongs to the Malaysian train company and the land also belongs to this company. The building is an old building of the British colony building style and I would recommend you to continue your journey from Woodlands checkpoint to this station by train instead of alighting at Woodlands right after immigration.
The return journey from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur is mostly the same except for the immigration. The Malaysian immigration takes place at the Tanjong Pagar train station before boarding the train so there is no officer coming onboard to check your passport in Johor Bahru. For Singapore immigration, it is again at the Woodlands checkpoint but for the return journey, you need not bring your belongings down for custom clearance.
Tip: The exchange rate for Malaysian ringgit and Singapore dollar is SGD1 = RM 2.2 If you purchase a return train ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, then you pay for both journeys in Malaysian ringgit, which is RM68 x 2 = RM 136
If you purchase a return train ticket from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, then you have to pay in Singapore dollars for both journeys which add up to SGD68 x 2 = SGD 136. Can you see what's the difference here ? If you were to buy the tickets in Malaysia, you only pay about SGD 62 for a return trip. So, by making your return trip starting from Kuala Lumpur, you save a lot of money !!!
If you really need to start your trip from Singapore, then I would suggest you getting a one way ticket from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and then you can buy the return portion in Kuala Lumpur so then you can pay in Malaysian ringgit which is cheaper.
Another alternative my friend told me is: Cross the Singapore border and take the train from Johor Bahru Malaysia. Basically, you cross the border by foot or you can take a bus that brings you to Woodlands checkpoint. Walk across the connecting bridge and then go to Johor Bahru train station. The Johor Bahru train station is just next to the checkpoint so it's very convenient.
Overall, the return train journey is one that I will never forget. If you need more help/info about taking this train, leave me a message !
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Oct 24th, 2006
(Oct 27th, 2006)
very helpful by (100%):
