Jan 18, 2010 by kimlye
So here’s on old fashioned idea – make the journey your holiday, just like in the old days. Yup, we’re talking about rail trips.

FEATURE > Rail Trip

by Lye Kim Sheong

For a free and easy-on-the-pocket journey up the Malaysian Peninsular – look no further than to our friendly neighbourhood railway operator – Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), or Malayan Railways.

According to http://travelmalaysiaguide.com, there are three train services that ply the Singapore – Kuala Lumpur route each day. There’s a choice of two modern air-conditioned daytime trains or an overnight sleeper. The ride starts from Singapore (tickets purchased in Singapore is priced in S$, while in Malaysia, they are priced in RM) and terminates at KL Sentral.

If you want to extend your journey, there is also the Singapore – Butterworth route, which leaves Singapore at 0740, and arrives at Butterworth at 2145. To head further inward into Thailand, you will need to transfer to SRT's train network after the Thai border. Check out SRT’s time table and booking options; early birds can plan ahead with its 30-day advance email booking (http://www.railway.co.th/English/index.asp).

The journey doesn’t have to be a single ride though; you can also hop on and off trains at different parts of the North South line. Key stations include, Johor Bahru, Gemas (the branch-off to the East Coast Line), Kajang (you’ve got to try the humongous Kajang Satay), Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Taiping and of course, Butterworth (which leads to Penang island).

E-booking for KTM’s rides is available at www.ktmb.com.my, for KTM online members, and you can book for yourself and any other persons, as long as there’s enough headroom left in your credit card.

(Editorial Note: Reserve the option of queuing up at the ticketing booth though. The KTMB site is not always stable, so occasionally, manual purchases at the train station beats digital purchases on the website.)