How to travel from Johor Bahru to Singapore by train

Hundreds of thousands of people cross over the Causeway from Malaysia to Singapore each day, making it the busiest international land border in the world. While the vast majority of journeys are by car, bus or motorcycle, the most popular and efficient way to cross the border is onboard one of the eighteen daily train services operated by KTM (Malaysia’s railway company), known as Shuttle Tebrau.

Departing from JB Sentral station in the heart of Johor Bahru, the train shuttle service avoids the notorious traffic jams on the Causeway and uses its own designated immigration counters, greatly reducing border crossing times. As a result, the rush-hour and weekend trains are usually booked up months in advance, so it pays to do some planning before your journey. Keep reading for all the information you’ll need for your (short) trip on the Johor Bahru to Singapore train.

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Route map and details

Although only two kilometres long, the short trip across the Causeway is one of the most well-known in Southeast Asia. Departing from JB Sentral station, it only takes five minutes to reach Singapore’s Woodlands Train Checkpoint station.

Timetables

There are eighteen shuttle trains per day between JB Sentral and Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore.

How to buy tickets

How much does it cost?

Tickets cost RM5.

Departure process from Malaysia

Departure gates (Gate A at JB Sentral) open 30 minutes before departure. Don’t arrive too much before this as the waiting area is functional rather than comfortable.

You might spot a few people eagerly waiting at the departure gates several minutes before they open but there’s really no need; as long as you’re there half an hour in advance, you’ll have plenty of time. During our trip on the late morning train, it only took a total of ten minutes to queue, scan our passport, and then clear immigration and customs.

Physical tickets aren’t issued for the shuttle, they’re linked to your passport instead. Simply scan your passport at the ticket gate, wait for the green light and head down the escalators, stairs or lift to the Malaysian immigration counters. There’s a choice of smart gates or old-fashioned immigration counters, neither of which had a queue when we crossed over.

Once through Malaysian immigration, place your bags on the conveyor belt to be scanned by Customs and head into the waiting area.

You’ll see the arriving passengers appear a few minutes later and once they’ve exited, the guards open the doors and allow passengers to walk down the steps (or use the lift) and board the train. Note that Singaporean immigration and customs will take place once you arrive in Singapore.

What to expect on board

The Shuttle Tebrau service between JB Sentral and Singapore Woodlands uses KTM Intercity, diesel-powered locomotives. With plans in the near future to build a modern, state-of-the-art mass-transit connection between the two countries (to be known as the RTS Link), there isn’t any incentive to replace or upgrade the shuttle trains, so they are showing their age in places.

Capable of seating over 300 passengers, the carriages are arranged 2 x 2 with surprisingly comfortable seats, offering footrests, tray tables and recline buttons. As this is the shortest end-to-end train ride in Southeast Asia, you won’t really need these features, but it does make the crossing comfortable. Toilets are located at the end of each carriage.

Seating is unreserved so you can choose any free seat. Some seasoned travellers know exactly where the train will stop in Singapore, and choose the carriage closest to the immigration entrance doors, so if you end up in there, you may need to stand for the short trip. If you do want to sit down, just keep walking through the carriages until you find an empty seat.

Journey description

After leaving JB Sentral with a shunt, the train emerges from the concrete station and begins to cross the Causeway. If you’re travelling at peak periods, the road traffic into Singapore will be backed up all the way to Johor Bahru, but the train maintains a stately pace across no man’s land.

The best seats are on the left-hand side of the train (facing direction of travel) as you’ll get a clear view of the Straits of Johor and the upcoming RTS Link, currently under construction.

At the halfway point, you’ll officially cross over into Singapore and before you know it, you’re entering Woodlands Train Checkpoint station, ready to enter Singapore.

Immigration procedure at Singapore

As you’d expect in Singapore, the immigration process is smooth and well-ordered, with all travellers asked to use smart gates. If needed, make sure you’ve filled in your Singapore arrival card in advance.

If the train is full, there can be a moderately-sized queue if you’re one of the last to disembark, but you’ll always be through in less then twenty minutes, and often much quicker. Arrivals are asked to scan their passports, have biometric data taken and then exit via automated gates. Unless you need their help or have any issues, your only interaction with the friendly and professional border guards will be them smiling and welcoming you into the country.

As this is an international border, remember not to take any photographs either at the station or in the immigration building. The authorities are quite strict about it and have been known to demand any photos you’ve taken to be deleted.

Onward travel into the city

The new RTS Link will improve things but for now, the onward travel options into the city centre are a slight hassle. Woodlands Train Checkpoint isn’t directly linked to the city’s excellent MRT system so you have the choice of either a taxi or bus to Woodlands MRT station, which is 15 minutes away.

Once you’ve cleared immigration, head up the escalators and follow signs to Bus/Taxi. Over to the right-hand side of the exit, you’ll see several bus shelters (located here) where the buses to Woodlands MRT or Marsiling MRT depart from.

The following buses go from Woodlands Train Checkpoint to Woodlands Interchange (10 – 15 minutes, SG$1.30), from where it’s a short walk to Woodlands MRT station:

• 178
• 903
• 911
• 912
• 950

From Woodlands MRT station, either take the Thomson-East Coast Line or the North-South Line into the city centre (around 45 minutes, SG$2.50).

Tourists and occasional visitors will find it easier to pay for buses and MRT using contactless credit cards. Transport passes and cards are available in Singapore, but they’re more aimed at residents or visitors who will be using public transport all the time.