There’s no question that visits to JB are a regular part of most Singaporeans’ lives, what with the KTM Shuttle and the upcoming RTS Link making those trips ever so convenient. Now, it seems that KL might soon be the next JB, with the new Electric Train Service, better known as ETS, bringing you from JB Sentral to KL Sentral, and other cities in Malaysia, in under 5 hours.
It’s been just over a month since the ETS commenced services on 12th December 2025; is this journey worth taking? We booked ourselves a round-trip ticket, and here’s how we found it.
The current exchange rate is RM1 = ~S$0.32 as of 23rd January 2026.
First – an introduction to the ETS. Their routes take you up Malaysia’s west coast, hitting cities like Penang, Ipoh, Negeri Sembilan, and Kuala Lumpur. Prior to December 2025, the nearest station to Singapore was Kluang. Now, along with the RTS Link that is slated to open this year, getting to northern Malaysian cities will be more accessible for both JB locals and Singaporeans.
There are 5 trips a day each way, with ride durations between 4 hours and 20 minutes and 4 hours and 40 minutes, running between 7.35am and 1.30am.
For your reference, here’s a breakdown of the current services on offer, which you can book through the KTMB website or app (App Store | Google Play):
JB to KL schedule:
| Train | Departure | Arrival | Duration |
| Gold – 9442 | 7.35am | 12.11pm | 4 hours 36 minutes |
| Platinum – 9542 | 8.40am | 1pm | 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Platinum – 9528 | 12.45pm | 5.05pm | 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Platinum – 9532 | 4.20pm | 8.40pm | 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Platinum – 9536 | 8.30pm | 12.50am | 4 hours 20 minutes |
KL to JB schedule:
| Train | Departure | Arrival | Duration |
| Platinum – 9523 | 7.55am | 12.15pm | 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Platinum – 9531 | 3.15pm | 7.35pm | 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Platinum – 9533 | 5.35pm | 9.55pm | 4 hours 20 minutes |
| Gold – 9449 | 5.50pm | 10.30pm | 4 hours 40 minutes |
| Platinum – 9537 | 9.10pm | 1.40am | 4 hours 20 minutes |
Prices start from RM63 (~S$20.02) for a 1-way ticket on Gold trains, and from RM82 (~S$26.06) on Platinum trains.
On Platinum trains, Car A is a dedicated Business Class carriage with 35 seats, where ticket prices start from RM152 (~S$48.31) one way. There are no Business Class seats on Gold trains, which are slightly older ETS trains.
Spoiler: We took both the Platinum and Gold trains in Standard Class – our review follows.
Unlike taking a plane or bus, where your journey to KL starts in Singapore, you’ll first have to make your way to JB Sentral to catch the ETS. For us, this meant an extra early meeting time of 6.30am at Woodlands Checkpoint, giving us more than sufficient time to cross the Causeway and grab breakfast while waiting for our 8.40am departure.
While this worked out for us with time to spare, do note that we had travelled on a midweek morning – as it stands, the train was full, and there was no availability for us to upgrade our seats even if we wanted to.
You’ll want to keep an eye on the boards in the departure halls for the latest updates on your train. The gates close 5 minutes before your departure time, so don’t cut it too close. Don’t throw away your tickets either, because you’ll need them when you reach your destination.
P.S.: If you take the Shuttle Tebrau into JB Sentral, it’ll save you some walking around, since the train takes you directly into this departure hall.
Unlike the Business Class carriage, where seats are laid out in a 1-2 configuration, the Standard Class carriages are outfitted with 2 rows of double seats.
There are luggage racks at the end of the carriage, but they can’t hold that many pieces of luggage.
Your best option is to place your luggage on the overhead racks – they are wide enough to fit cabin-sized bags, as we discovered.
Pro tip: Definitely bring a jacket with you on board the ETS train. We happened to see the thermostat set at 18 degrees Celsius in the carriage on our Platinum service.
NGL, there was little to complain about when it came to the seats themselves – there was ample recline, and they were pretty cushy. Like the Shinkansen that we’re more familiar with in Japan, these seats can also be rotated to face the direction of travel.
Seeing as the trains are only about a month old, they’re pretty clean-looking, with upholstery and finishes that still have that new feel about them.
You get your very own footrest and charging point, complete with USB-A outlets which you can use to charge your devices throughout the long journey.
Something to note, however, is that you will have to push down on the footrest to use it, otherwise it simply folds back up whenever you lift your feet off.
Other than that, there’s also a nicely sized tray table that folds down from the seat in front of you, that you can further pull out to bring it closer to your body. Plus, a retractable hook that holds weights of up to 5kg allows you to hang your handbag or jacket in front of you.
If you’re travelling in a group, consider picking the quad seats so you can chat F2F, and get a bigger table too.
We tried to use the Wi-Fi on board – it is available for use – but were unable to connect our devices to the network. You’re meant to scan a QR code to access a website, where you fill in your email address to receive a code for the free Wi-Fi; unfortunately the website kept dropping once we tried to retrieve the code in the email application, whereupon you’d need to restart the process.
TL;DR: It was complicated and didn’t work.
Where Car A guests get their own screen, drinks, and bento boxes delivered to their seats, everyone else has to head to the cafe in Car C when they’re feeling peckish or thirsty.
There are both Asian and Western options on the dining menu, with prices from RM12 (~S$3.81) for bento options like Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang or Nasi Ayam Pad Kra Pao. Drinks start from RM3 (~S$0.95) for Aik Cheong Teh Tarik 3in1.
All things considered, it’s pretty wallet-friendly to dine on the ETS, though our colleague says there were only 5 pieces of squid in her “not too bad” nasi lemak. Another colleague had the fettuccine on board, which purportedly was nothing to shout about.
Now, the toilet on board started out relatively clean when our journey commenced. There was toilet paper, hand soap, and the loo was dry. By mid-journey, I could smell the toilet whenever someone entered or exited the washroom – and I was seated at Row 8, which is in the middle of the carriage.
When my colleague tried to use the loo just as we were pulling into KL Sentral, she found the bathroom floor completely wet. There was also no hand soap or toilet paper left. To quote, “It stinks of piss.” And no, we didn’t get a picture of the toilet at the end of the journey.
As we were waiting on the platform in KL, I happened to see the cleaner sprucing up the train. The cleaner, wearing just a plastic glove, had his entire arm in the toilet bin, and then the carriage bin, clearing trash out. He then used that same hand to press the button which opened the sliding doors to the next carriage. Moral of the story: you’ll want to pack along some hand sanitiser and use it after touching every button.
On the return journey from KL, we were booked on a Gold train, which to our chagrin was already mid-journey. Read: the toilets were already in a state. As an older model, the seats and carriages were much more tired.
Image credit: Michelle P
In contrast, the tray table on this train was very small, and couldn’t be pulled closer to our seats. The footrest was also incredibly far away, AKA anyone below 160cm can’t comfortably or physically reach it unless they’re almost horizontal on the seat.
Here, the seats also cannot be rotated, so everyone was seated against the direction of travel.
Our train to KL arrived at 1.20pm, or 20 minutes behind schedule. We encountered some delays at Seremban on our way back to JB, and we pulled into JB Sentral some 10 minutes after we were supposed to.
It’s advertised that the ETS trains go at 160km/h, but in reality, they’re throttled at 140km/h. The train’s speed was displayed on the carriage screens on our return journey, and it showed that the train was often below that speed.
Supposing you start driving from Woodlands Checkpoint at 3.50am and gun it all the way to KL Sentral, Google Maps shows that it’ll take approximately 3 hours and 43 minutes. Of course, this is assuming a dead-of-the-night start time, clear traffic, and no rest stops.
A quick check of buses from Singapore to KL shows ticket prices from $15, with luxury operators such as Aeroline charging upwards of $30 for a one-way ticket. These rides take anywhere from 5 to 7 hours, depending on traffic conditions.
If you were to take Firefly Airlines from Seletar Airport to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, tickets are priced around $95 there, and $55 back to Singapore. The flight time is under 1.5 hours, but you’ll have to factor in travelling time from the airport in Subang to central KL, which is another 30 minutes.
Should you fly into KL International Airport (KLIA) instead, it’ll be an hour’s journey into KL city.
Here’s a summary table for a single-way trip to KL:
| Mode of transport | Duration | Cost | Notes |
| ETS | 4.5 hours | From $20 |
|
| Car | 3.5 to 6 hours | Petrol costs |
|
| Bus | 7 hours | From $15 |
|
| Aeroplane | 1.5 hours | From $95 |
|
Our verdict: It really depends on your priorities when it comes to picking a mode of transport to get to KL. All in all, the Platinum train is not a bad choice, especially if you like the luxury of walking up and down the aisle, plodding over to the Dining carriage once in a while, and don’t mind the slightly long but smooth ride.
Image credit: LTA
Let’s not forget that it may soon be easier for travellers to get from Singapore to JB when the RTS Llink and Woodlands North RTS Station are ready. You’ll get to clear both Singapore and Malaysia customs within the station, before hopping on a 5-minute train ride that’ll take you across the Johor Strait.
Once you arrive at Bukit Chagar RTS Station, it’s just another 5 minutes on foot to JB Sentral along a sheltered walkway, where you can then board the ETS to KL.
For more JB & KL guides:
Photography by: Vivien del Valle, Shannon Tan
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