Thought I’ll share a little about my experience travelling back to KL from Singapore by train. We should take our kids for an overnight ride in the train. They will thank us for the experience.
I could not take any pictures at the Woodlands Train Customs checkpoint as the by-law forbids it. I wanted to take some but chickend out in the last moment considering the fact that Singapore (SG) are pretty strict with their enforcement. Besides, my A200 is a little too obvious & the Singapore Immigration Officers will come after me with their cuffs & batons high up in the air the moment I took the giant out.
Geara Doga looks exited to be photographed at the Tanjung Pagar Train Station. He look forward to the train ride.
Here’s the train station. I think the station is very much the same since the colonial times. Maybe some updates but I doubt the KTMB will do anything further to the building. The reason is not because for conservation of history but it’s more like they are short of cash (or just not bothered).
I’m actually very surprised with how “Malaysian” the station is. Every corner that I turn to, the station looks absolutely Malaysian. The air & feel of the place & the familiar KTMB sign & their typical (i don’t care a damm about you atittude of the) staff.
The place feels so Malaysian right down to the loo … (T_T)
Which I highly suspect is of the same standard as the Malaysian washroom as well … & I thought KTMB in Singapore, for the sake of competition & customer service will do something better about it … (T_T)
Yep, it’s the train station itself. Just a little note, the 2 tiny little orange brick block on the train’s platform is the actual Immigration counter. That’s how the Malaysian Immigration looks like & in case you’re wondering, I’m not even in JB. Welcome to Malaysia. (^_^)
In the Singapore~Malaysia ride, you will check into Malaysia first before you exiting Singapore. Travellers beware ! You will not get a Malaysian Immigration entry stamp on your pasport in this station. Because of this weird-non-international compliance protocol, travellers crossing Malaysia & Singapore border have been charged in court for illegal entry in both countries because of the missing documentation. TO cover your ass, make sure the the Customs officer stamp the entry stamp on your boarding pass since every non-Malaysian needs to have one. Keep an eye out for the warning in this unusual immigration practice. The warning is there in the station. You’ll just have to find it. God bless those who can find & read it. Ok. Enough cautioning. (^_^)
If you decided not to board the train from SG, you can always board it from JB. See that little sign showing which direction Singapore is? (^_^)
If you are early, you can spend some time to have dinner & do some shopping at City Square Shopping Complex which is just 5 minutes walk away from the train station.
The JB Train Station (also an old colonial building) looks a little spooky & out of place in the night considering the fact that the JB Iskandar Immigration complex & City Square is just right next to it.
Blame it all on the lighting. There’s hardly any street lights outside the station itself. Maybe the movie makers will want to make some horror train story there. Fits the old building criteria well. (^_^)
Here’s the sleeping bunkers inside the train. It’s the 2nd Class Sleep coach. Cost RM45 for the Lower bunk & RM39 for the Upper bunk if you’re boarding from JB to KL or the same amount in SG$ if you’re boarding from Singapore. [TIP : If you board from JB, it's 2.4 times cheaper.]
Lower bunks are recommended for those who gets motion sickness easily. (^0^)
The upper bunk is smaller & the window is even smaller. However, there’s enough room to sit up & the bunk is sturdy enough to support people well above 100kg (^_^;)
I have not tried the higher class coach but from the look of the pictures in the KTMB’s webpage, it does look luxurious enough. Will put up a post on it when I got the chance to sleep in it.
The bunker bed, with the curtain closed is actually pretty cosy. The mattress, although not thick, is pretty sturdy, comfortable & clean. There’s really nothing much to do after I got into the train & crossed the customs. Although there’s a cafe in the train (YES, there is a “CAFE” in the train), it’s not open for the midnight ride.
After a shaky but comfortable 8 1/2 hours (including the time spent crossing the borders), I finally arrived at the KL Sentral Station. The arrival hall is really quiet except forsound our foot steps . The whole city must still be sleeping …
… on the other hand, from the look if it, the passengers of train are not the only one’s who are at KL Sentral at wee hours in the morning.
Something surprises me after taking the train ride back for a few times. The trains are actually on time! Give & take 15 minutes, the train usually arrives at KL Sentral about 6.30am everytime. I have to admit that I’m satisfied with the train service in this aspect. To a certain extend, it’s much better than the bus ride back to KL. For a start, I don’t get harassed by either taxi drivers or bus ticket sellers when I arrive at the station. It is more quiet in the train compared to the bus. The only real down side of taking a train is the long hours (i.e. it took twice as long as a bus ride)
I then took an early KTM Komuter (train again) to head back to Kepong. I always appreciate the fact that Kepong is well connected to the KTM Komuter line. Makes my life really easy when I’m back from SG. The unfortunate part is that the Komuter trains are always never on-time (even with a 15 minutes allowance) & the seats are also badly arranged & cramped.
Arriving at Kepong Station, I took the usual route, 20 minutes walk, past my former schools & back to my parents house where I’ll then pick up my car for the weekend.
I don’t remember when’s the last time the street looked so peaceful to me in the morning. I have not walked or taken a proper look at this place for many years. So much & yet so little have changed for the past 13 years since I left secondary school.
