Travelling along what is affectionately known as the Jungle Line, the overnight journey from JB Sentral to Tumpat is one of the most memorable train trips in Southeast Asia. As the only sleeper service remaining in Malaysia, this is your chance to spend a night on the rails and explore one of the least visited regions of the country.
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Route map and details
Although everyone calls it the Jungle Line, the route from JB Sentral to Tumpat actually uses Malaysia’s East Coast Line. Beginning just a stone’s throw from Singapore, the line runs into the interior of the country, weaves through the jungle and into the state of Kelantan, before terminating in the town of Tumpat, just a few kilometres from the border with Thailand.
For the first 200km of the route, the train shares the same track as the West Coast Line, before branching off at the town of Gemas and heading into one of the less-visited parts of Malaysia.
Approximately twenty minutes before arriving at Tumpat, the train calls at Wakaf Bharu. This is the closest station to Kota Bahru, which is the largest town in the area (it also has its own airport).
Timetables
There’s only one train per day on this route, running overnight from JB Sentral and arriving into Tumpat in the early afternoon.
| Train No. | JB Sentral | Tumpat |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | 21:05 | 13:35 |
How to buy tickets
The easiest way to buy train tickets in Malaysia is online rather than going to the station. You do pay a very small commission but the ease and convenience makes it worthwhile in our opinion.
Baolau is the best site to use for buying train tickets, they have access to the official booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.
Payment can be made using international credit card and PDF confirmation tickets are sent to your email address within a few minutes. This is the actual ticket you need to board the train, so there’s no need to exchange it at the station before travel. You may prefer to print the pdf out, but it’s also fine to show it on your mobile phone to the conductors and station staff.
Johor Bahru to Tumpat train tickets
How much does it cost?
There are three classes available on train 26, priced as follows:
| Class | Cost (MYR) |
|---|---|
| Second class sleeper (lower) | 56 |
| Second class sleeper (upper) | 50 |
| Second class seat | 44 |
| First class seat | 117 |
What to expect onboard the Jungle Train
For anyone who’s travelled on a sleeper train in Thailand, the Jungle Train will feel instantly recognisable. Rather than sleeping in separate compartments (as in Vietnam), the Malaysian sleeper trains have open-plan berths lined up front-to-back against the windows, with a corridor running down the middle.
Privacy is maintained via a curtain and most travellers on our train closed them as soon as we left JB Sentral and settled in for the night. Although everyone has a different opinion on this, we prefer this layout to sleeping in an enclosed compartment with strangers. It also means you sleep parallel to the window and can watch the world passing by your window as you drift off to sleep.
The carriages are showing their age in places and they don’t have the ultra-modern amenities you might find elsewhere in Southeast Asia (e.g. there are no charging points or TV screens). Instead, you have a solid, old-school sleeper carriage, full of character and ambience. We love it.
The train consists of seven carriages:
- T1 (first class seats)
- T2, T3, T4 (second class seats)
- T5/Cafe (restaurant)
- T6, T7 (sleeper berths)
Lower sleeper berths are popular and tend to be booked in advance. As there’s only a RM12 difference between a second class seat and lower sleeper berth, you should book the latter if you’re boarding at Johor Bahru and want to get a decent night’s sleep.
For the second half of the journey, some people prefer the seats as they’re more conducive to sitting upright than the berths.
Sleeper carriages
Carriage T6 and T7 are located at the front of the train and each contain 20 upper berths and 20 lower berths.
Lower berths are slightly more expensive but well worth the extra RM6. Not only are the lower berths wider, they’re also much easier to climb into and out of. But perhaps the biggest advantage is the larger window, providing a wide open view of the passing countryside.
A few of our tips for the sleeper carriage:
- Lower berths are the most popular and are nearly always booked-up first.
- Unlike on Thai sleeper trains, the berths are left in ‘night-mode’ for the entire journey (e.g. left as lie-flat berths, not converted back into seats).
- There are no charging points either at your berth or at the end of the corridor (there are some in the seating carriages T2, T3 and T4, but you’ll need to wait your turn and stay with your phone while it’s charging). We’d suggest bringing a power bank.
- Lights are left on constantly and the curtains don’t block out all of the light. And we’re not talking subtle, mood lighting here, it’s full-on surgical levels of brightness. Bringing a decent travel eye-mask is a great idea.
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- There are nine stops between midnight and 6.00am. Each one brings new passengers into the carriage and there isn’t really any attempt to keep the noise down, either from the passengers or guards. While they won’t cancel out all the noise, some ear plugs are also a good choice.
- Everything feels very safe and secure on the trains, this is Malaysia after all. For extra peace of mind, you might decide to take valuables with you when going to the toilet or restaurant car. It’s also a good idea to secure your bags to the seats or frames using a simple padlock and tether system, although it’s by no means essential.
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- Carriages are air-conditioned and are kept at a pleasant temperature during the journey.
- In terms of bedding, you’re provided with a pillow, thin mattress, under-sheet and a small, thin top-sheet. There’s no blanket, so you might want to bring a light blanket or sarong with you.
- Bring a pair of flip-flops / sliders for walking around the carriage. The bathroom area can be wet underfoot so you wouldn’t want to walk around barefoot or in socks.
- Avoid the berths at the end of carriage. Even though there are doors, they have to be closed manually and no-one bothers to do so after a few hours, so you’ll be subjected to extra noise. Worse than that, while smoking is officially banned, some people have a sneaky cigarette at the end of the carriage and wafts of smoke inevitably make their way into the carriage.
- If you’re able to choose your lower berth, check out the table below for some tips on which one to pick (note that upper berths are odd numbers, lower are even).
| Lower berth number | Notes |
|---|---|
| 2, 4, 6, 8, 34, 36, 38, 40 | Try to avoid, too close to doorway |
| 10, 12, 30, 32 | Decent option, but still quite close to doors |
| 14, 16, 26, 28 | Be aware, slightly restricted view 1 |
| 18, 20, 22, 24 | Best berths available |
Seating carriages
There are four seating carriages, with one for first-class (36 seats) and three for second-class (60 seats in each). The main difference is first-class has fewer seats (laid out 1 x 2), whereas second-class is 2 x 2. Although the seats recline and are quite spacious, they’re not really suitable or comfortable for an overnight journey.
Each seat has a tray table and armrest, and there are two toilets at the end of each carriage. Luggage can either be stored in the overhead racks, or at the end of the carriage.
If you’re making the entire overnight journey from Johor Bahru, we’d suggest giving the seats a miss and booking a berth instead. During the night, some people in the seating carriages chose to sleep on the floor and it looked to us like most other people were struggling to get a restful night.
However, during the day, especially when the carriages begin to empty in the last two hours of the journey, the seats become a good option again. The train guard didn’t seem to mind that we sat in the second-class seats for a few minutes for a change of scenery.
What are the toilets like?
We’ve seen a lot worse. Each carriage has two western-style toilets with working flushes, toilet paper (even at the end of the journey), hand soap and paper towels. They’re kept clean and tidy by the attendants, although they were beginning to smell slightly as we reached the end of the line.
There aren’t any hand basins or washing facilities outside in the corridor, so all ablutions need to take place in the slightly cramped bathroom. We didn’t need to queue once to use the toilet.
Catering options
The Jungle Train isn’t quite the same culinary journey as we’ve experienced on other Southeast Asian trains. Access to Malaysian railway stations is restricted, so there won’t be any vendors rushing onboard at station stops or offering food on the platforms. Catering staff also don’t wander down the corridor pushing a trolley offering tea, coffee or snacks.
Instead, all catering is restricted to the cafe/restaurant car located between the sleeper and seating carriages. In theory, they offer noodles and rice dishes, although they’d sold out of everything by the time we arrived at 8.00am. Instead, only pot noodles, biscuits and crisps were available, plus 3-in-1 coffee and tea options.
It’s a pleasant place to sit for a few minutes, especially if you’re in the sleeper berths and have grown tired of being horizontal. Half a dozen tables are laid out with comfortable chairs and large windows to enjoy the view.
Food is very affordable (less than RM10) and payment is either with cash or e-wallets.
Journey description
It’s known as the Jungle Train for good reason. Despite taking over sixteen hours, it’s difficult to take your eyes away from the window at any stage of the journey as there’s always something happening outside, whether it’s trundling through a small village, crossing a mighty river, spotting Dusky Leaf Monkeys in the canopy or becoming mesmerised by the never-ending rainforest vista.
It feels almost claustrophobic at times as the train cuts through the dense rainforest, often passing within a few feet of the trees, but it provides a unique perspective on a part of the country that would otherwise be impossible to witness.
Departing JB Sentral exactly on time, the city drifts past the window with a final glimpse of the Causeway and Singapore, a reminder that you’re about to travel from one end of the country to the other. Most passengers drift off to sleep once Johor Bahru’s tall buildings have given way to the open countryside.
The busiest stop arrives just after midnight when the train reaches the junction town of Gemas, with connecting passengers from Kuala Lumpur joining the train. Aside from a few minor stops throughout the night, the train continues gracefully to Gua Musang around 7.30am, a place famous for rocky outcrops jutting out from the jungle canopy. From here, it’s all about the stunning scenery with the train crossing rivers and through the rainforest, occasionally breaking clear of the trees to reveal mountains, rock formations and small Kelantan villages.
As the train enters the final hour of the journey, more and more passengers disembark; if you’re staying on until Tumpat, you might be one of the final passengers on the train. Although travellers use Wakaf Bharu and Tumpat as jumping off points for the Perhentian Islands, this is the end of line in more ways than one.
In a good way, the Jungle Train is a sedate and relaxing experience with plenty of pauses and random waits in the jungle. At times, the pace is barely above 10km/h.
Although there are only a few other trains running on the East Coast Line, as it’s mainly single-track, the train does sometimes need to let other services pass by. But, it’s all part of the Jungle Train vibe that makes the journey special and, in any case, most people on the train aren’t in a rush. On that note, if you’re tired of the tourist trail around Southeast Asia, this is the train ride for you as there are almost no other tourists onboard, it’s mainly locals travelling into the state of Kelantan.
In the early afternoon sun, the train arrives in the quiet town of Tumpat. Thailand is now only a few kilometres away if you’re in the mood for an adventurous border crossing. Otherwise, catch a thirty minute bus or Grab taxi to the major city of Kota Bharu and continue exploring this unique and tranquil part of Malaysia.
Useful reads before you go:
Top 10 tips for Southeast Asia train travel
7 reasons why you should travel by train around Southeast Asia
5 AMAZING train journeys in Southeast Asia
10 essentials experienced travellers always take on trains in Southeast Asia
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