PhlyingRPh

Has anyone here taken the train from Singapore to KL Sentral?

I really just wanted some thoughts on the service itself, immigration and customs at the border, and how this thru-train option might compare with say crossing the bridge into Malaysia then taking the train from Johor Bahru to KL.

While I'm at it, any thoughts on onward travel by train from KL to Butterworth and on to Bangkok?

Thanks in advance.

Ichinensei

slow and bumpy. The immigration is on the Singapore side. I think at the train station if I remember correctly. I rather take a bus, or fly, But if you are going for the experience, why not. Don't know about service since I slept mostly.

clintonbench

I have taken KTM from Singapore to KL and the ride quality is fine. Pretty bare bones service though... Cafe car is minimalist, so bring some snacks along... There's hawker-type food at the Singapore train station. Ironically, KL Sentral is set up to be an ultra modern hig speed terminal with intermodal connections, given the Airport express train, Rapid KL, and KTM Komuter, and buses. So when you get to KL, you'll feel like you're stepping out of the 1970s on the train into the 2010s in the station.

The train is actually a interesting statement about Singapore-Malaysia political relations. There has been a decades long debate between Malaysia's KTM which still owns the train station back from the days when Sinagpore was part of Malaysia, and Singapore, which would like to see the site redeveloped. In the typical style of the Singapore-Malaysia dysfunctional family-type relationship, Singapore, which wants the station moved to the Woodlands up on the border, actually went ahead and built a new train station up there! So... And this is quite the mind bender... You actually go through Malaysia customs and immigration back at the terminal station in central Singapore... BUT... You are forced to get off the train and go through Singapore's exit immigration/customs process at Woodlands in their new modern train station (where no one actually can board or alight!) So... For an odd 20 minutes, you can experience the sensation of being in the 60s and still be in both Malaysia and Singapore at the same time.

Now... All this said...if none of this interests you, or perhaps instead, you're annoyed to let political drama be a part of your vacation, you have a few other choices. First is the bus. Next is the train from JB. This is actually much cheaper.... BUT you have to go to JB to buy the ticket as KTM jacks up the price for tickets sold in Singapore. (Back to that dysfunctional family again...) Not really worth a special cross border trip just to buy a ticket in advance. The final and sometimes cheapest/fastest option is to fly from JB to KLIA on Air Asia. You can take the Singapore local bus to the JB Airport bus.. Then fly to KLIA LCC, and then take the express bus or bus-KTM Komuter connection from the LCC to KL Sentral.

Have fun... And enjoy KL!

jpatokal

About one week ago, after 20 years of talks (!), Singapore and Malaysia finally reached agreement on the fate of the railway -- including the closure of the Tanjong Pagar station by July 2011 and the relocation of the terminus to Woodlands. So while I agree that the train is not sensible option in terms of speed or price, it just might be worth it for the soon-to-be-gone experience.

clintonbench

Absolutely agreed that for anyone who is a bit of a railfan (there must be others than just me on here) that the agreement to finally shift service to Woodlands means that now's the time to get one of the last remaining authenttic "old Singapore" experiences. The old station is a gem amidst the ever more sterilized city-state!

PhlyingRPh

Well, it appears that I may well end up being an expat resident of KL for about 6 months, so I will definitely give the train to/from SIN a try at some point, especially as it appears I will need to be there at least a couple of times a month. Thanks for the fascinating information all.

peersteve

There's also a recent trip report on this train hidden in a longgggg report....look in "Trip Reports" for
"6 Trains on 6 Continents ~ Connected by 44 Flights on 14 Airlines ~ PART 1 and PART 2"....can't recall whether it's in part 1 or 2.....sorry.....enjoy!

dsgtc0408

One thing not mentioned about the train. Please take note that the train can be seriously unreliable re the timetable to the point that the concept of rubber time needs to be redefined. Although irritating, it is not directly the fault of KTM (Malayan Railways - KTM is the abbreviation in Malay). What happens is that key parts of the KTM network between KL and Singapore (probably elsewhere in their network too I'd guess) is single tracked, so when breakdowns happen or monsoon weather causes the tracks to wash out, the train can be as much as 6 or more hours late. Compounding the difficulty is that many of the train personnel are not that good in English, thus getting information on conditions, delays etc can be a frustrating experience. The real irritation is that the delays happen with frustrating regularity, so PhlyingRPh, try not to use the train if you're doing something time sensitive.

pacer142

That's a real shame.

Neil