The five-minute Shuttle Tebrau hop from Singapore's Woodlands checkpoint to Johor Bahru Sentral is still the quickest way out of the Lion City — but its days are numbered, with the shuttle scheduled to end by mid-2027 as Singapore's new subway link comes online. One travel writer decided to go further, much further, stitching the two cities together by rail: seven days, six trains, roughly S$450 in tickets and about S$74,000... well, in Thai baht — around S$500 all-in including two nights in each city, meals and transport.
The first proper leg is the Electric Train Service from JB Sentral to Kuala Lumpur, a direct connection that started three months ago and cut travel time to around 4.5 hours. A business-class seat costs about RM171 — comfy recliners and legroom, though not quite China or Japan high-speed. In KL, the stops were classic: nasi kambing at a family-run restaurant in Damansara Utama, charcoal-grilled satay in Petaling Jaya, a wander around the otherworldly Batu Caves (watch the monkeys), and Chinatown's Jalan Alor food street for ikan bakar and Penang-style assam laksa.
From KL, a 3.5-hour business-class ride (RM157) reaches Butterworth, the gateway to Penang. A quick ferry or 10-minute ride brings you to George Town — UNESCO-listed and street-lined with workshops — where a plate of char kway teow costs just RM10. Up Penang Hill, a 2km funicular built by the British in 1923 climbs to a restaurant, and nearby is The Habitat, a 1.6km nature trail dating to the early 1800s.
Then the long haul: a two-hour train to Padang Besar on the Thai border, followed by a minivan transfer to Hat Yai. Only three trains a day run that route, and sleeper tickets to Bangkok sell out fast — so book early. The overnight sleeper from Hat Yai to Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal costs a bit over 1,000 baht; first-class gets you a private cabin with sink, while second-class shares with one other passenger. Train workers convert seats into bunks a couple of hours in — spicy, hearty, and with a decent serve of Lao cuisine via Funky Lam Kitchen en route, if a touch noisy.
The final day was left for Bangkok's buzz: Wat Song in the trendy Talat Yot district, street art and curly ice cream everywhere, grilled octopus skewers at the Michelin-mentioned Urai Braised Goose (a quirky queue system, but worth it), and a slice of cake at Sleepless Like Cats cafe.
Why it matters: rail travel across Malaysia was once the default for Singaporeans, until budget airlines took over in the early 2000s and politics scrambled connections. With the ETS now running direct and the shuttle's days numbered, there's never been a better window to see the Malay countryside, Penang and southern Thailand the slow way — no airport queues, plenty of street food, and a proper sense of distance covered.
