Malaysia’s long-awaited electric train service linking KL and JB makes its debut in preview run

KUALA LUMPUR/JOHOR BAHRU – Just before dawn broke on Dec 11, Malaysia’s new electric train service (ETS) linking Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru rolled out of Kuala Lumpur Railway Station on a media preview run, a day ahead of its official launch on Dec 12.

The train reached Kempas Baru station in JB at 10am, where the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended the completion and operationalisation ceremony of the service.

In his speech, Datuk Seri Anwar said the completion of the project marks a new milestone for Johor as a fast-developing state, with its economic performance having “surpassed Penang and Selangor”.

He also spoke about the leaders’ retreat with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Dec 4, where they reiterated that the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone will benefit the state, its neighbour and Malaysia’s economy.

“Today, we informed the Prime Minister of Singapore that we have completed a very important chapter by providing a transport network that will benefit the country and in this context the state of Johor,” Mr Anwar said in his speech.

“We need airports, ports, and highways and transportation networks that are advanced, like what we’ve seen, and today, we have almost completed the fundamental infrastructure (in Johor).”

There will be four services daily on the KL Sentral-JB Sentral route: Two departures from KL Sentral (7.45am and 5.35pm) and two from JB Sentral (8.40am and 4.20pm). Starting on Jan 1, 2026, the first service from KL Sentral will depart at 7.55am.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke told journalists at the Kempas Baru event that two more services will be added on both routes in January, with more trips set to be added the following month.

Earlier in Kuala Lumpur, the platform was buzzing during the 6am departure as officials from Malaysia’s national railway operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) and the Transport Ministry boarded the train.

The service marks the completion of the long-awaited 192km

Gemas-JB

electrified double-track rail project.

The new six-coach train, comprising five standard coaches and one business-class coach, seats 312 passengers.

There are four toilets, a power point at every seat, and a dedicated “coach bistro” serving meals on board.

The business-class coach offers wider seats, its own dedicated toilet, complimentary meals, individual TV displays with free Wi-Fi, movies, a route map and an in-seat meal ordering system.

There is also a prayer room available for Muslim travellers in one of the middle coaches.

Train captain Khairul Yaacob, 49, said he was grateful to have reached Kempas on time, noting that the journey was faster and smoother on the new train compared with the traditional locomotive.

“We have done many test trips with (simulated) passengers, and since the past month we’ve done many tests on this train,” Mr Khairul told The Straits Times.

“So I’m really excited to have this train ready for service on Friday for the first time in JB, and I encourage passengers to try out this new train.”

When the 192km extension project began in 2017, completion was expected by October 2021, but work was delayed for more than three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and complications in the land acquisition process.

The long-awaited ETS will cut travel time between KL and JB to around 4.5 hours, from five to seven hours by car or bus. 

With the southern electric line finally complete, Malaysia’s rail backbone on the west coast now effectively runs on electrified double track from Padang Besar in the far north to JB.

From Dec 12, four existing KL Sentral-Kluang services will be extended to JB Sentral, offering passengers in the southern state a direct rail link to Kuala Lumpur.

KTM expects strong demand for this route, particularly with the year-end school holidays in Malaysia as well as Singapore, and increasing cross-border traffic from the Republic.

Mr Loke also announced on Dec 11 that Malaysia’s Transport Ministry is planning to introduce a commuter service between JB and Kulai – a district about 30km from the state capital – using diesel locomotives by the first quarter of 2026.

He hopes that the commuter service gives more options for residents living in areas between JB and Kulai to access the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link to Singapore’s Woodlands. Each trip takes roughly 20 minutes, with 16 services operating to and fro.

In the long run, Mr Loke said, there are plans to roll out electric trains for the commuter service similar to the ones used in Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur, and the Komuter Utara service in the northern states.

KTM’s acting group chief executive and chief technical officer Ahmad Nizam Mohamed Amin said in a press release on Dec 8 that the new southern ETS route will significantly improve mobility for Johor residents heading to KL Sentral, before connecting to destinations in the north and on the east coast.

The improved connectivity will also draw more visitors, including those from Singapore, to Johor and elsewhere in Malaysia, giving the tourism industry and economy a boost, he noted.

A normal one-way fare from JB or KL starts from RM82 (S$27). Tickets went on sale at 12.30am on Dec 9 via the KITS Style mobile app, KTM kiosks and the operator’s official website. Fares for travel up to end-May 2026 are now available.

To mark the launch

, KTM offered a 30 per cent discount for travel on the southern ETS route between Dec 12 and Jan 11. The launch discount, available for the first 5,000 passengers using the promo code “JBBEST”, was fully redeemed on the first day of ticket sales.