A paper plan to ride every line of KTM (Malaysia’s national railway) in four days. Some sections I’ve ridden on separate occasions, but this route would be the most efficient way to complete the entire network in one trip.

KTM’s network is Y-shaped. From the southern terminus at JB Sentral (Johor Bahru), it runs north through Kuala Lumpur, then splits into the West Coast Line (toward Butterworth) and the Kedah Line (toward Padang Besar). The East Coast Line is a separate system running from Tumpat (near Kota Bharu) to JB Sentral via Gemas.

The Y-shape makes backtracking unavoidable, so the plan uses flights to reduce the loops.

Timetables are available on the KTM website.

Itinerary Overview

  • Day 1: Japan → Kuala Lumpur. West Coast Line south to Gemas, then back north to Butterworth. Overnight in Butterworth.
  • Day 2: Round trip to Padang Besar (Thai border) to complete the Kedah Line. Fly from Penang to Subang Airport, then ride KL commuter lines. Overnight in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Day 3: Fly from Subang to Kota Bharu. East Coast Line overnight train to JB Sentral.
  • Day 4: Cross from JB Sentral to Woodlands (Singapore). Fly home from Singapore.

Day 1: Japan → Kuala Lumpur → Butterworth

23:30 → 06:00Haneda → Kuala Lumpur Airport ANA 885~¥65,000
07:05 → 07:40KLIA → KL Sentral KLIA Express55 RM
12:17 → 14:35KL Sentral → Gemas West Coast Line (EG9321)31 RM
15:10 → 21:42Gemas → Butterworth West Coast Line (EG9322)82 RM
Overnight in Butterworth~¥5,000

From KL Sentral, head south to Gemas first, then back north all the way to Butterworth. This completes the West Coast Line north of Gemas.

Day 2: Padang Besar Round Trip → Penang → KL Commuter Lines

05:20 → 07:11Butterworth → Padang Besar Kedah Line (2940)11.4 RM
08:35 → 10:26Padang Besar → Butterworth Kedah Line (2947)11.4 RM
11:10 → 12:35Penang Sentral → Penang Airport Bus (CT12, CT13, 401)~12 RM
14:40 → 15:40Penang Airport → Subang Airport Malindo Air 1107169.94 RM
16:01 → 16:20Terminal Skypark → Subang Jaya Skypark Link (2812)4.5 RM
17:45 → 18:44Subang Jaya → Pelabuhan Klang Pelabuhan Klang Line (2151)4.3 RM
19:29 → 20:55Pelabuhan Klang → KL Sentral Pelabuhan Klang Line (2170)6.4 RM
21:21 → 22:00KL Sentral → Batu Caves Batu Caves Line (2060)2.6 RM
22:08 → 22:39Batu Caves → KL Sentral Batu Caves Line (2071)2.6 RM
Overnight in Kuala Lumpur~¥5,000

Early morning round trip to Padang Besar (Thai border) to complete the Kedah Line. Butterworth is across the strait from Penang Island, so fly from Penang Airport to Subang Airport in Kuala Lumpur, then ride the commuter lines in the afternoon.

Day 3: Kota Bharu → East Coast Line Overnight → JB Sentral

13:15 → 13:52KL Sentral → Skypark Skypark Link (2815)3.5 RM
16:00 → 17:05Subang Airport → Kota Bharu Airport Firefly 1150139 RM
17:15 → 18:15Kota Bharu Airport → Tumpat Station Taxi~50 RM
18:50 → 12:06Tumpat → JB Sentral East Coast Line / West Coast Line (ERT27)56 RM

Fly to Tumpat (near Kota Bharu), the starting point of the East Coast Line, then ride the overnight train all the way to JB Sentral. This completes the entire East Coast Line and the West Coast Line south of Gemas.

Day 4: JB Sentral → Singapore → Japan

14:00 → 14:05JB Sentral → Woodlands West Coast Line (ST81)5 RM
22:20 → 05:55Singapore Airport → Haneda ANA 844~¥86,750

One stop from JB Sentral to Woodlands crosses from Malaysia into Singapore. Half a day in Singapore before flying home.