How to travel from Singapore to Johor Bahru (Malaysia) by train

Welcome to the busiest international land border in the world. The short crossing from Singapore into Malaysia is used by hundreds of thousands of people each day. While the vast majority of journeys are by car, bus or motorcycle, the most enjoyable and stress-free way to cross the border is onboard one of the thirteen daily train services operated by KTM (Malaysia’s railway company), known as Shuttle Tebrau.

The shuttle train from Singapore to Johor Bahru departs from Woodlands Train Checkpoint, located at the very northern tip of Singapore. Although the building and its surrounds aren’t the most pleasant place in Singapore, and reaching it by public transport can be a pain, taking the train does largely avoid the notorious traffic jams and queues associated with the road crossing. As a result, the train is the number one option for most travellers and some services are booked up six months in advance. This is one trip you should plan in advance, so keep reading for all our advice on taking the Singapore to Johor Bahru train.

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Route map and details

At only two kilometres, the Causeway linking Singapore and Malaysia is the shortest train route in Southeast Asia. Both stations are located as close to the Causeway as possible, so pretty much the entire journey is spent crossing the Straits of Johor.

Timetables

There are thirteen shuttle trains per day between Woodlands Train Checkpoint and JB Sentral.

How to buy tickets

Tickets for certain times of the day are exceptionally popular and it can be especially difficult to get tickets for the morning departures unless you book several days in advance. Similarly, the 18:45 and 20:00 departures used by workers returning to Malaysia are always sold out, often months in advance.

Many Singaporeans cross over into Malaysia for the weekend, so the trains from Friday morning until Saturday afternoon are also usually fully booked as soon as they go on sale (six months in advance).

Regardless of when you’re planning to travel, the easiest way to buy train tickets for the Singapore – JB shuttle train 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 confirmation is sent to your email address within a few minutes. You’re not actually issued tickets for this trip, instead you provide your passport number when booking, and your passport is scanned at the departure gates to gain access to the platform. You may prefer to print the confirmation out in case of any issues, but it’s not required.

Note that if you intend to buy tickets on the day of departure, you’ll often only be able to purchase tickets for the final trip of the day (11.45pm).

Singapore to Johor Bahru train tickets

How much does it cost?

Tickets cost SG$5 (about RM15).

Getting to Singapore’s Woodlands Train Checkpoint station

In a country that’s otherwise well joined-up and connected by public transport, Woodlands Train Checkpoint station is something of an outlier.

The main issue is that it’s not on the excellent MRT network, and the most convenient station (Woodlands MRT) is a ten or fifteen minute bus ride away (slightly quicker in a Grab taxi). So if you’re coming from the city centre, you’ll first need to take the MRT to Woodlands (around 45 minutes, SG$2.50) and transfer onto a bus for the final few kilometres.

Buses to the Train Checkpoint depart a short walk from the MRT station at the Woodlands Interchange bus stop (located here). At peak times, queues here can be quite long, although it’s well laid-out and managed.

The fastest bus to Woodlands Train Checkpoint is the 911 (10 minutes, SG$1.30). Alternatively, the 912 will get you there as well, but it takes another 10 minutes or so.

Woodlands Interchange can be a slightly confusing place and you should keep in mind that you’re heading for Woodlands Train Checkpoint, not Woodlands Checkpoint, which is a different place (it’s where the immigration building is for people crossing the border using road transport).

If you do happen to end up on a bus to Woodlands Checkpoint by mistake, don’t worry. When you arrive at Woodlands Checkpoint, follow the crowd up the escalators and then immediately turn right to cross over the pedestrian walkway. This will bring you to Woodlands Train Checkpoint after a few minutes.

Departure process from Singapore

Most visitors to Malaysia (other than Malaysian or Singapore passport holders) need to fill out an arrival card online in the three days before departure. Make sure you’ve done this before approaching Malaysian immigration.

The waiting area for the Singapore to JB Sentral shuttle train is a functional place to wait, although don’t expect to get comfortable. Aside from a few metal seats lined up along the wall, there’s nowhere to sit and nothing to do other than waiting until the gates open forty minutes before departure.

Physical tickets aren’t issued for the train shuttle, they’re linked to your passport instead. When you reach the front of the queue, guards will scan your passport using their mobile phone and let you through once the ticket has been accepted. From here, walk down the stairs and enter the Singapore immigration area where you’ll be directed to use the smart gates to exit the country.

Malaysia has a juxtaposed border at Woodlands Train Checkpoint so after clearing Singapore immigration, you go straight through to the Malaysian immigration and customs area. You can use either smart gates or manual counters for immigration (ignore the sign before the smart gates that says they’re only for Malaysian and Singapore passport holders; passport holders from 63 other countries can now use them).

What to expect on board

The Shuttle Tebrau service between Singapore Woodlands and JB Sentral 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 aren’t any incentives to replace or upgrade the shuttle trains, and they’re 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. Seating is unreserved so you can choose any free seat.

Toilets are located at the end of each carriage.

Journey description

As with most border posts, Woodlands Train Checkpoint isn’t the most pleasant of places. As the train pulls out of the station, your last view of Singapore is barbed wire, watchtowers and grey concrete buildings.

On the left-hand side of the train you’ll very likely see queues of cars, motorbikes, lorries and buses waiting to enter Singapore. The best seats are on the right-hand side of the train (facing direction of travel), where you’ll get a good view of the Strait of Johor, the new RTS Link under construction, and the foreshore of Johor Bahru.

Within a couple of minutes, the train disappears into the underground concrete jungle of JB Sentral station, and you’re officially in Malaysia.

Immigration procedure in Malaysia

Thanks to the juxtaposed border, there are no Malaysian immigration or customs formalities to complete once you disembark. Simply head up the escalators, through the gates, and into the main station concourse.