Only a few kilometres from the Thai border and in one of the least visited regions of Malaysia, Tumpat sits at the end of the line in more ways than one. Some intrepid travellers find themselves in town after crossing over from Thailand, others use it as a base to explore nearby Kota Bharu and the Perhentian Islands.
When it’s time to leave, Johor Bahru is waiting at the other end of the Jungle Line, 720km and 16 hours away.
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Route map and details
You might know it as the Jungle Line but, officially at least, the railway line from Tumpat to Johor Bahru is the East Coast Line. But let’s ignore the official terminology; ‘Jungle Line’ captures the flavour and romance of the journey much better than plain old ‘East Coast Line’.
Plus, the official name is something of a misnomer. The line mainly runs through the interior of the country and only comes close to the east coast of Malaysia in the final few kilometres of the journey. For the majority of the trip, it’s slow and steady progress, only really picking up the pace once you reach the junction town of Gemas where both West and East Coast lines merge and continue to JB Sentral.
Timetables
There’s only one train per day on this route, running overnight from Tumpat and arriving into Johor Bahru in the late morning.
| Train No. | Tumpat | JB Sentral |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | 19:20 | 11:35 |
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.
Tumpat to Johor Bahru train tickets
How much does it cost?
There are three classes available on the overnight train from Tumpat to JB Sentral, 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
As this is the only sleeper service remaining in Malaysia, we’d strongly recommend booking one of the sleeper berths on the Jungle Train. First and second class seats are available but if you’re travelling overnight, you’ll find the berths much more comfortable and conducive to a decent night’s sleep.
Malaysian sleeper trains offer a very similar experience to those in Thailand, with an open-plan carriage and berths arranged either side of a central corridor. Each berth has a privacy curtain and most travellers close this as soon as they’re settled in for the night and keep it closed for the duration of the journey.
The carriages are showing their age in places, with some signs of wear and tear if you peep under the seats or behind the doorways. Unlike some sleeper trains in other parts of Southeast Asia, there aren’t any ultra-modern amenities (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 Tumpat 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 in 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 ten stops between 11.00pm and 7.00am. 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 Tumpat, 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. If you get there early enough in the journey (e.g. before 8.00am), they should have microwaveable noodles and rice dishes, otherwise it’s the options are fairly uninspiring (pot noodles, biscuits and crisps), 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.
Beginning its journey at the quiet station in Tumpat, you’re only a few kilometres from the border with Thailand. A few travellers make the intrepid river border crossing from here, but most tourists have arrived in town after visiting Kota Bharu or the Perhentian Islands. The Jungle Train is also heavily used by locals from the state of Kelantan making their way into the more populated regions of the country.
The late departure means that most passengers get comfortable, change into overnight clothes and close the curtains for the evening as soon as the train leaves Tumpat. Most of the major stops arrive further into the journey so, combined with the darkness outside and sedate progress on the ageing, single track, it’s a gentle start to the journey.
If possible, set the alarm for 6.00am to take in the remote rainforest views, wide mud-coloured rivers and rocky outcrops that help frame this stage of the journey as one of the most picturesque in Southeast Asia. You’re passing through a part of Malaysia few travellers witness and one that hasn’t yet felt much impact from tourism and the outside world.
Towards 8.00am, the train enters the more populated areas of Malaysia and reaches the railway junction town of Gemas, where the West and East Coast lines meet. Plenty of passengers will disembark here to join trains heading north to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Butterworth.
The final few hours see the train enter the modern and thriving state of Johor, picking up pace as it approaches the city of Johor Bahru and the final stop at JB Sentral. From here, sixteen hours after leaving Tumpat and the Thai border, you’re now only a couple of kilometres from Singapore. As the train makes its final approach into the station, keep an eye out for the Causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore, perhaps inspiring you to continue your railway adventure into a new country (check out our guide for taking the train from Johor Bahru to Singapore)
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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