JB-Woodlands shuttle trains to end online, advance bookings from Dec 1

Tickets for Shuttle Tebrau, the shuttle train service between Woodlands and Johor Baru Sentral, will no longer be available online from Dec 1. Commuters will also not be able to book tickets in advance. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER

Tickets for Shuttle Tebrau, the shuttle train service between Woodlands and Johor Baru Sentral, will no longer be available online from Dec 1. Commuters will also not be able to book tickets in advance.

Instead, tickets will be sold only from 8.30am one day before departure, and will be available only at KTM Intercity counters.

Sales will be limited to four tickets per person.

The tickets were previously available 30 days in advance online and at ticket counters.

Malaysian rail operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), which runs the service, said the change is to avoid the abuse of ticket sales and overcrowding.

This is to ensure that all passengers have valid tickets to board the train.

The Shuttle Tebrau was launched in July last year to ease traffic congestion along the Causeway.

The train takes five minutes to travel between JB and Woodlands. Each trip, costing RM5 (S$1.60) from JB and $5 from Woodlands, caters to about 320 passengers.

The number of daily trips was increased from 14 to 22 in January this year.

Some commuters complained about the changes on the KTM Berhad Facebook page.

User Steve Heah wrote: "You thoughts (sic) all passengers don't need to work? After work still need to queue for next day ticket or have to ask their family to queue for next day ticket in the morning."

Derek Wong

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 21, 2016, with the headline JB-Woodlands shuttle trains to end online, advance bookings from Dec 1. Subscribe