WaltInAsia 15 - Crossing the border by train to Johor, Malaysia from Singapore

This journey takes me from Singapore to Malaysia via rail. I took the train between Woodlands CIQ and JB Central called Shuttle Tebrau. It is only a 5 minutes ride or so between the two stations but a bit more time considering you have to pass border controls for both Singapore and Malaysia before departure. Multiple trains are departing each day and you have to book in advance if you want to ride on it, specially on the weekend as seats are limited and demand can be high.

You can book the tickets on the website https://shuttleonline.ktmb.com.my/Home/Shuttle

This option is nice because you arrive in Malaysia domestically since you passed passport control before meaning you can hope of the train directly into the city of Johor Bahru.

This old train will be replaced in the coming year with a new mass transit system between both cities, a common projects by both governments that should be finished in the coming years. The role is to increase capacity and connect directly to each others current public transport system.

It is called the RTS system, you can find info on wikipedia if interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johor_Bahru%E2%80%93Singapore_Rapid_Transit_System

To cross the border most people would take a bus instead of a train as you can book directly to go to another city in Malaysia like Kuala Lumpur where the bus drives you to the border and then you jump back on the same bus.

Visiting Johor Bahru - first steps in Malaysia

For me this was the first steps in Malaysia (expect airport stopover) and I used Johor Bahru as a stop to rest a bit in a nicer hotel (for a lot cheaper than Singapore), get logistics done for the country where I would stay a month (checking SIM card, get local currency in cash, setting up Grab, repacking).

I stayed two nights and one full day as I arrived during the evening I went to the hotel after the train ride and a bit of time spent in the mall next to the station getting Grab going for the country, I used the app before in Bali but for some reason I had to redo some things on my account.

For my full day in Johor I was it by the rain so I spend a lot of time inside, visiting a local museum about the history of the town.

I walked a little bit around town when the weather was better, got some food and a bit of shopping at the mall to get a new pair of open shoes to continue with my trip.

Johor was really a stop to get on a bus to my next destination which would be Melaka, near the straight of Melaka which was an important trading port during the colonials times. Spending a day in Johor was nice, I am sure I missed a lot of things but who knows maybe next time I will get good weather and more time. I know one of the big attraction there is actually Legoland but it is a bit further away from the city but if you are interested I am sure it is a cool thing to see.

The day went fast, got back to the hotel and would chill and rest before catching a bus from the intercity bus station the next morning.

Anyway this was the end of my trip in Singapore, spent a last day before catching the train to Johor and then 2 days later a bus to Melaka, stay tuned for the next post. And yes I finally posted it after saying that for like 2-3 days :)

Thanks for your time dear readers.

Explore the Journey So Far:

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