Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru by ETS

Until 2025, there was only one option for travelling south by train from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru, the Intercity services hauled by the Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU / Class 63) offering a long day or night journey. But since then, you can now make a quick journey from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru by ETS in half the time. The ETS (Electric Train Service) to Johor Bahru began taking passengers on 12th December, 2025 and will get you there in a little over 4 hours using their newest Class 94 trains (ETS2).

Timing and the journey

Although Economy Traveller made this trip to Johor Bahru as guests of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) to check out the new Shuttle Selatan Service, we have used and booked our tickets ourselves many times over the years. These are the quickest way to purchase your tickets. Please note that their pricing is dynamic for the ETS, like air fares, so book early, choosing a less popular time of day and not travelling during peak periods (Festivals and school holidays) if possible.

You will need to set up an account and a Wallet, to make your booking and payment. (use KITS Style app or KITS online). We find it easy to use and especially like that we can choose our own seats on the map. They show the direction of travel and the way the seats face in the older trains (Class 91 and 93). They also indicate if occupied seats are booked for Male or Female passengers.

You can also pre-order your food, to receive during the journey.

Concession fares are available for Malaysian Citizens who are over sixty, students, or people with disabilities. You will need to apply and the concession period is fixed, so you will have to reapply upon expiry.

Over the counter at any KTM Station

You can book your tickets at all KTM Stations, although you may not be able to choose your seat if there are people waiting in the queue. If you have a concession card, make sure you present it to get your discount.

Following The Executive Coach, there are 5 standard coaches B-F. Each has a luggage Rack and space at the opposite end for luggage and wheelchairs.

We found the tray table to be larger than previous examples, with a deeper drink holder (good) and enough space to hold a decent sized laptop. It seemed very stable and can be pulled towards the user for convenience.

Another big improvement is the power sockets. There are two 240V standard sockets, so you get one each and they are positioned well, at the base of the seat backs in front. Each socket also has two USB ports available.

Footrests are always welcome. these ones are spring loaded, but there’s no space at the top/front, to fit your toes in, so they were a little uncomfortable to use and this writer found her feet floating off the ground.

The coat hook can hold up to 5kg, but anything too bulky will intrude into your space, but not to worry, there are roomy overhead shelves which are quite spacious.

The translucent window shades were welcome as the sun dropped in the late afternoon on our side, as they would be in the early morning for those travelling on the eastern side.

On standard six-coach KTM ETS trains, public washrooms are located in Coach B, Coach D, and Coach E. They have more details about these and other onboard amenities on the older train sets on the KTMB Onboard Facilities page. There are fewer seating rows in carriages with toilets and the Bistro car.

The toilets in Coach B and E are regular-sized toilets, located near the end of the carriage (behind row 1). The toilet in Coach D is modified for disabled passengers.

There is no need to worry about noise from the toilet, it’s separated from the seating area by a self closing door, unless the foot traffic or door noises bother you.