Malaysia’s new electric train service (ETS) linking Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru began a media preview run on Dec. 11, a day before its official launch on Dec. 12. The train is bound for Kempas Baru station in Johor Bahru, where the Regent of Johor and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will attend the completion and operationalization ceremony.
New ETS Service Launches in Malaysia
Officials from Malaysia’s national railway operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) and the Transport Ministry were aboard the 6 a.m. departure from Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. The service marks the completion of the 192km Gemas-Johor Bahru electrified double-track rail project.
The six-coach train has a capacity of 312 passengers, with five standard coaches and one business-class coach. It features four toilets and a power outlet at every seat, as well as a dedicated “coach bistro” for onboard meals.
The business-class coach offers wider seating, a private toilet, complimentary meals, individual TV displays with free WiFi, movies, a route map, and an in-seat meal-ordering system.
A prayer room is also available for Muslim travelers in one of the middle coaches.
The project, which began in 2017, was initially expected to be completed by October 2021, but faced delays of over three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and land acquisition issues.
The new ETS will reduce travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru to approximately 4.5 hours, compared to five to seven hours by car or bus.
With the southern electric line now complete, Malaysia’s rail network on the west coast is fully electrified with double track from Padang Besar in the north to Johor Bahru.
Starting Dec. 12, four existing KL Sentral-Kluang services will be extended to JB Sentral, providing a direct rail link to Kuala Lumpur for passengers in southern Malaysia. There will be four daily services: two departures from KL Sentral (7:45 a.m. and 5:35 p.m.) and two from JB Sentral (8:40 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.). An additional service from KL Sentral will depart at 7:55 a.m. starting Jan. 1, 2026.
KTMB anticipates high demand for the route, particularly during the year-end school holidays in Malaysia and Singapore, and with increasing cross-border traffic from Singapore.
Ahmad Nizam Mohamed Amin, Acting group CEO and Chief Technical Officer, stated that the new southern ETS route will improve mobility for Johor residents traveling to KL Sentral and connecting to destinations in the north and on the East Coast. He also noted that the improved connectivity will attract more visitors, including those from Singapore, boosting tourism and the economy.
One-way fares start at RM82 (S$27). Tickets went on sale at 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 9 via the KITS Style mobile app, KTMB kiosks, and the operator’s official website. Fares are available for travel through May 2026.
To mark the launch, KTMB offered a 30 percent discount for travel on the southern ETS route between Dec. 12 and Jan. 11. The discount, available for the first 5,000 passengers using the promo code “JBBEST”, was fully redeemed on the first day of ticket sales.
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