Thaipusam 2026, use public transport to Batu Caves, some are free

With three major festivals (Thaipusam, Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri) taking place in Malaysia between the end of January and the end of March, Malaysians will be on the move as almost everyone has something to celebrate.  Therefore, the Ministry of Transport has announced several public transport service initiatives to support the smooth movement of people beginning with the Thaipusam 2026 celebration, which in Kuala Lumpur will see crowds estimated to be around 2.5 million visitors converge on Batu Caves, just north of the city. In addition, the Government will extend this special service initiative to the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays which will also see large movements of travellers.

Trains, Buses and Ferry Operations in conjunction with Thaipusam 2026

KTM Komuter

During Thaipusam 2025, KTM Komuter services, including 494 additional services attracted a ridership of 434 thousand passengers during the period. For Thaipusam 2026, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will implement a special service schedule in conjunction with Thaipusam with additional services to Batu Caves Station to ensure user comfort and convenience.

This means that between 30th January and 2nd February 2026 KTMB will provide an additional KTM Komuter service which will operate 24 hours for four (4) days and three (3) nights. This initiative is expected to benefit up to 700,000 users and meet the needs of passengers whether participants or visitors wanting to experience the uniqueness of the Thaipusam celebration in Batu Caves.

The total operation of this commuter service is 609 trips, an increase of 23% compared to last year and includes the following routes:

• 302 services for the Batu Caves – Pulau Sebang – Batu Caves route
• 165 services for the Batu Caves – Port Klang – Batu Caves route;
• 142 services for the Tanjong Malim – KL Sentral – Tanjong Malim route (train transit to KL Sentral)

On normal weekdays, the commuter service  for the route to Batu Caves operates 98 trips per day, rising to 216 per day in conjunction with the Thaipusam celebration this year. The additional train service begins after the last train each day, with service times from Pulau Sebang Station to Batu Caves starting at 9.15pm, and 10.25pm ​​for the train from Port Klang Station to Batu Caves.

For users from KL Sentral, additional train services to Batu Caves Station will be interspersed with existing services starting at 7.32 am, improving frequency  to every 30 minutes. Services can be accessed from 28 KTMB stations which will operate 24 hours to help the flow of passengers in and out of the stations and to help groups in need such as the elderly, disabled, pregnant women and children.

Transfers from other services

Travellers using other non-KTMB services should check the respective timetables for details. In addition, eight (8) electric train services (ETS) will also be added on the following routes with 10,080 tickets available:

Bus and Ferry Services

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad through Rapid KL and Rapid Penang will provide free shuttle bus services in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

• In Kuala Lumpur,  a total of 30 shuttle buses will operate with a frequency of every 10 minutes to Batu Caves, covering three main routes, from:
  • Pasar Seni City Hub,
  • LRT Gombak and
  • MRT Kg. Batu
  • This service will operate from 6.00 am to 12.00 midnight on 31 January 2026, and will continue 24 hours on 1 February 2026.
• In Penang, Rapid Penang will provide a free shuttle bus service from the ferry service Jetty to Adventist using 12 buses
  • Frequency of between 20 and 60 minutes depending on the ferry schedule.
• The Penang Port Commission (SPPP) and Penang Port Sdn Bhd will be offering free ferry services from 31 January to 2 February (53 hours), with the service extended until 3.00 am on 2 February 2026.
• BAS.MY operators will also be providing additional free services around five cities on 1 February 2026, to facilitate the use of BAS.MY services by Hindu devotees to nearby temple festival locations. This service will use a total of 169 busses.
• Johor Bahru
  • BAS.MY Johor Bahru: 11 existing routes (connecting Arulmigu Sri Muniswarar Ulu Tiram Temple, Sri Subramaniar Masai Temple & Sri Maha Siva Muniswarar Tampoi Temple);
• Seremban
  • BAS.MY Seremban: 10 existing routes (near Sri Balathandayuthapani Temple Seremban);
• Ipoh
  • BAS.MY Ipoh: two (2) routes including one (1) special route from Medan Kidd to Sri Subramaniar Temple, Gunung Cheroh, Ipoh
• Kota Setar and Sungai Petani
  • BAS.MY Kota Setar: five (5) routes near Subramaniya Swami Devasthanam Temple, Sungai Petani

FREE RIDES on KTM Komuter services

As a Government initiative the Ministry of Transport through KTMB has announced the offer of free fares to KTM Komuter Klang Valley passengers for two (2) days, on 31 January 2026 and 1 February 2026.

• The free fare starts at 12.00 midnight until 11.59 pm, with a check-out mechanism via the automatic gate (ACG).
  • Use your payment card to tap in and out, this is just to check the number of passengers, no fare will be charged.
• Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) for their cooperation in providing this free fare.

The operators are expecting a passenger load at full capacity across the two (2) days, with an estimated 450,000 people using the commuter service to travel to Batu Caves.

Preparation and safety at  KTMB Stations

KTMB has been preparing since early January 2026 to facilitate the smooth flow of passengers to the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves. Among the steps taken are improving passenger entry and exit flow, and the layout of the waiting area. There will be 250 staff on duty throughout the operation period of this additional train service.

To oversee safety aspects, Auxiliary Police personnel have been assigned, along with operational staff, engineers, and technical staff to ensure that the train sets are in optimal and safe conditions for travel.

KTMB also has the support of medical teams from Selayang Hospital and St. John’s Ambulance, who will be stationed at Batu Caves Station to provide emergency assistance as required, to ensure the safety and well-being of users throughout the festival.

Travel tickets and cashless transactions

All payments, including free tickets, will be made cashless using the KITS Style application, Link Commuter Card, Touch ’N Go Card, debit or credit card, ticket kiosks and ticket counters.

Senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWD) passengers, will receive a special discount of 50%, children aged three (3) years and below 10 years and MyRailLife users are not charged a fare through the MyRailLife initiative.

Travellers eligible for this initiative should register for MyRailLife at the nearest KTMB counter or via the KITS Style application, to enable them to enjoy free fares throughout 2026.

 Additional ETS in conjunction with CNY & Raya

Chinese New Year

With increased demand for tickets, this year, ETS tickets for Chinese New Year are almost sold out. Therefore, KTMB will be adding ETS services from 13 February until 22 February for the following routes:

A total of 26,460 tickets have been put on sale for this period, bringing the total number of ETS services operating in conjunction with Chinese New Year to a maximum of 52 trips/day.

Ticket sales for the additional ETS services in conjunction with Chinese New Year open 29th January 2026.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

A total of 36,540 tickets are offered for this period making the total number of ETS services operating in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri up to a maximum of 52 trips/day.

Ticket sales for the additional ETS services in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri will be on 1st March 2026.