Gemas Station to KL Sentral by Train

This is my review of the train between Gemas and KL Sentral (Kuala Lumpur). Unlike my first train today, this one is electric and has a completely different seating arrangement. So, which of the two did I prefer? Read on to find out. This is part of my Singapore to Beijing train trip.

🇲🇾 TRAIN 3. Gemas to KL Sentral (Kuala Lumpur)
🚂 ETS EG9322
🗓️ Date of Travel: 4th October 2024
⏰ Depart 15:52 | Arrive 18:17
⏱️ Duration: 2 hours and 25 minutes
📏 Distance: 170.5 km
🎟️ Ticket: 32 ringgit (Standard Class)

When travelling from JB Sentral (Johor Bahru) to KL Sentral (Kuala Lumpur), you need to change trains in Gemas. You will also switch from a diesel locomotive to an electric train. Unfortunately, the wait for the connection is two and a half hours. Some people waited at the station, but I decided to walk out to the main road where there are places to eat and rest.

I spent the first hour at KFC, which had both air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi for customers. I then moved to Family Mart across the street, where they have a seating area. I bought a coffee and sat down at a table to do some work. On the way back, I stopped at the old railway station, which has been converted into a museum. This is interesting and well worth a visit. There is a cafe there on the station too.

ETS EG9322 was scheduled to leave at 3:52 p.m., and boarding began about 30 minutes in advance. Like other stations in Malaysia, you need to scan the QR code on your ticket at the ticket barrier. I used the app, as I had bought my ticket online. The ticket office is on the second floor, with lifts to take you up and down to the platform. There is level boarding onto the train, but do mind the gap.

The train I boarded was a Class 93/1 electric multiple unit (EMU) from 2016. It’s a six-car train set that includes a cafe, a prayer room, and accessible toilets. There is only Standard Class seating on this train. Half of the seats face backwards, and none of them can be swivelled to face the other direction. However, when booking, you can choose the direction you want to sit.

The seats, arranged in a 2 + 2 configuration, have a blue covering with a red headrest. They feature armrests, a pull-down tray table, coat hooks, and window blinds. The seats also recline, but the padding is not as thick as on the older trains, and they seemed narrower. Legroom was sufficient for me, but I was fortunate that the person in front of me didn’t recline their seat. A bonus is that each pair of seats has one three-pin plug socket beneath them.

Some carriages have a set of four seats facing each other with a table in between. Since one of these was vacant in my carriage, I decided to sit there for a while. It made it easier for me to type on my iPad, although it was a bit of a squeeze between the window and the table leg. If I book a seat with a table in the future, I would go for the aisle seat.

The cafe wasn’t a full dining car, as more than half of the carriage had regular seats. They offered basic meals heated in a microwave, along with snacks and hot and cold drinks. The toilets were kept clean throughout the trip, so no complaints from me in that department. However, I felt that the seats hadn’t been cleaned for a while as they looked dusty.

Each carriage had monitors displaying a map of the route, and also showing your current location. There were also regular announcements about upcoming stations. One of the monitors showed the speed—the fastest I saw was 140 km/h, which is probably one of the highest speeds for long-distance trains using metre gauge. In Thailand, the top speed is 120 km/h for the diesel railcar, though regular trains are limited to 90 km/h.

The train I took does not terminate in Kuala Lumpur; it continues all the way to Butterworth. The total journey time is six hours and 50 minutes, which is impressive for such a long distance. However, it arrives in Butterworth quite late at night at 10:42 p.m. The last ferry to Penang departs at 11:00 p.m., and it’s about a ten-minute walk to the ferry terminal. I’m not sure if you can make it in time.

Overall, I found the train to be modern, clean, and comfortable—to an extent. I’m not sure I would have been comfortable all the way to Butterworth, as I felt the seat padding on the older trains was much better. These seats didn’t provide much support. I also preferred the dining car layout on the older trains. KTMB has a newer version of this train, which I will be taking to Butterworth in a few days. Let’s see if there’s much of a difference.

➡️ BUYING TICKETS:
🇹🇭 Thailand: DTicket
🇲🇾 Malaysia: KTMB

➡️ TRANSPORTATION TICKETS IN ASIA:
✅ 12GO Asia
✅ Trip Dot Com
✅ Baolau

Share this:

Like this: