Malaysian Railways KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad KTMB) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) are preparing to restart their jointly run train service between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok in 2025. This is one positive development and we’ve noted at least a couple more worthy of mention.
The joint Malaysia/Thai service resumption was announced recently by Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook recently when he met with Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister, Suriya Juangroongruangkit in Bangkok. During the visit, he was shown around Bangkok’s new Bang Sue central railway station, officially officially known as Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, which included a briefing on the country’s high-speed rail services. The new Terminal replaces Hua Lamphong railway station as the main station for long-distance train services.
Malaysian Railways KTM: Lots to look forward to
KTM and Thai rail have been given three months to prepare for the revival of the Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok service which would make use of the existing railway line linking Bangkok, Padang Besar, Butterworth, and Kuala Lumpur.
…. This doesn’t require a new track but does call for coordination, joint marketing, and cooperative ticketing between the two countries.
Travellers on the eastern side of the peninsular will also be pleased to hear that Thai authorities had proposed extending rail services from Sungai Golok to Rantau Panjang and Pasir Mas in Malaysia. This would be a positive step with the potential to boost local economies and improve livelihoods in the border region. However, this will take longer to implement due to a need for track restoration work which is required on the long-unused railway lines in Rantau Panjang and Sungai Golok.
Padang Besar to Johor Bahru by ETS
The ETS (Electric Train Service) connecting Gemas to Johor Bahru is almost complete and is expected to start carrying passengers from August 2025. You’ll still have to use the shuttle train (Shuttle Tebrau) from JB Sentral to Woodlands if you want to get across to Singapore and connect with their MRT or bus service.
We still don’t have a confirmed completion date for the 4km long RTS Link, between Johor’s Bukit Chagar station and Singapore’s Woodlands North, although it is expected to begin service by the end of 2026.
The Kuala Lumpur Station is getting a facelift
All Malaysian Railways KTM services pass through the old KL Station. It was completed between 1910 and 1917 and has undergone major renovations in 1986 and 1995, the year the KTM Komuter service started. The Kuala Lumpur KTM station has three platforms serving four railway tracks and is a good station to use if you want to connect to the older part of the city and the LRT/MRT services at Pasar Seni. Unfortunately, we’re having difficulty finding out the extent of the work, there’s much to fix, as well as the timeline. However, a walk through the station recently revealed leaking roof and ceilings, broken and missing wall tiles and a lot of mould. We look forward to the restoration of the building to its former glory as well as improvement and upgrading of the facilities.
Double Tracking Kuala Lumpur to Port Klang upgrading
The incredibly slow pace of this work has also captured the attention of the Minister and since January, services on this line have been further reduced to enable crews to work more easily during the day. We may still be looking at a 2028 timeline instead of 2029, but at least there will be replacement buses between Subang Jaya and certain stations operating half hourly.
Trains will only operate in one direction during peak travel time:
- Between 6:00 and 9:00 am: –
- Train every 30 mins from Port Klang to KL Sentral
- NO service from KL Sentral between 9:00 am and 5:30 pm
- Between 5:30 and 9:00 pm:
- Train every 30 mins from KL Sentral to Port Klang
- NO service from Port Klang
Replacement buses will be useful if you need to get to certain stations, from Subang Jaya Station. Commuters are expected to take the LRT Kelana Jaya line to and from Kuala Lumpur to connect with these buses. Stations between Subang Jaya and Kuala Lumpur will not have replacement buses.
Rail-replacement bus ONLY for these stations:
Apart from one bus that serves Batu Tiga, Shah Alam and Padang Jawa as one loop, the other stations each have a dedicated bus, so make sure you check the destination before boarding.
- Batu Tiga
- Shah Alam
- Padang Jawa
- Bukit Badak
- Klang
- Teluk Gadong
- Port Klang
The bus departs every 30 mins between 6:00am and 11:00pm to/from LRT Subang Jaya station.
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