Malaysia

Malaysia

Journey Times 2013;

• Kuala Lumpur to Singapore (journey time around 6 hours 10 minutes)
• Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth (journey time around 6 hours 15 minutes)
• Gemas to Tumpat (journey time varies from around 9 to 10 hours)
• Butterworth to Bangkok (journey time around 22 hours)

Railways were first built in Malaysia to move the country's large deposits of tin from the interior out to its ports. The first line opened on 1 June 1885, was about 8 miles long and ran from Taiping to Port Weld. The following year saw another line added, this time running from Kuala Lumpur to Port Swettenham (now Port Klang).

In 1903 a line was opened down to Singapore and in 1923 work was completed on an impressive causeway across the Johor Strait from Singapore Island to the Malaysian mainland. The first part of the Eastern line from Gemas to Bahau was finished in 1910 and in 1931 this line was opened all the way up to Tumpat in north-east Malaysia.

West Coast Line
You can travel by rail all the way from Singapore to Bangkok using as few as 2 trains which, if you want to go straight through, take around a day and a half to complete the journey..

Eastern Line
The journey from Gemas to Wakaf Bahru in north-eastern Malaysia takes you through the awesome scenery of the dense jungle of the Malay interior..

Now passenger services are run by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) which is owned by the Malaysian government and operates trains on the Western and Eastern lines, as well as the Bukit Mertajem to Butterworth branch.

From Butterworth, you can also board an overnight train all the way to Bangkok, capital city of neighbouring Thailand and one of Asia's bigger cities (population 8 million plus). Bangkok started as a 15^th Century trading post in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, becoming a central part of the rise of Siam and, through the 19^th Century, its eventual modernisation into the country of Thailand.

Modern visitors can still step back in time by visiting some of the finest Buddhist temples, including Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew, or the Vimanmek Mansion inside Dusit Palace, the world's largest teak building. Shopping is always popular here, either in the regular stores and malls of the city centre, or perhaps at Taling Chan Floating Market out in the bay.

Above is a map of the routes that we can offer and booking is simple. All you need to do is contact us and one of our team will reply back to you with an emailed quotation based on your requirements.