THE INITIAL STAGE OF THE JOHOR BAHRU - XI'AN TRIP

How I travelled from Johor Bahru to Xi'an, in brief.

   1st SEPTEMBER 2026   

4:20 p.m. Took the KTMB ERL Train to Kuala Lumpur.

9:00 p.m. Arrived in KL Sentral [20 minutes behind schedule]

9:20 p.m. Took the ERL Express to KLIA Terminal 1 from KL Sentral

9:45 p.m. Arrived at KLIA Terminal 1

Met Puan Noor'aini Mohamed Nor, an ex-colleague of SMK Taman Universiti, who was accompanied by her husband and two children. She was catching her flight to Balkan.

10:00 p.m. Group members [who were strangers to me] started to arrive at the Departure Hall.

There were 28 people which were divided into 2 groups.

Group 1 [10 people] flew to Xi'an via Xiamen.

Group 2 [18 people] flew to Xi'an via Guangzhou.

I was in Group 1.

We were notified our flight to the Xiamen, the transit stop, was delayed for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

11:00 p.m. Checking in at the Xiamen Air counter.

   2nd SEPTEMBER 2026   

12:30 a.m. Checking in at Plaza Premium Lounge [READ HERE].

3:40 a.m. Departed Kuala Lumpur on Xiamen Air, original time 2:30 a.m.

8:40 a.m. Landed at Xiamen International Airport, and there was about only an hour to clear Immigration and run to the next awaiting flight.

9:45 a.m. Departed Xiamen for Xi'an.

12:00 p.m. Landed at X'ian International Airport.

Reunited with Group #2 from Guangzhou.

Group 1 members waited for the luggage that never arrived.

Because of the 1 hour delay, our bags were not transferred to the next vessel.

All the luggage was later sent by the airline company to the hotel and we got our bags at 11:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m. Arrived at Citadines Hotel.

Some people already started their shopping activity earlier.

We just had an hour to perform our day prayers and freshen up, and we were already back on our feet and started the exploration of Xi'an.

[MY XI'AN TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THERE IS ALWAYS A FIRST TIME ON ETS BUSINESS CLASS TRAIN

I decided to try the Business Class on ETS KTM train from KL Sentral to Johor Bahru for the first time on 7th July 2026. The ticket was RM170++ from Kuala Lumpur to Kempas Baru Station, but I needed to pay only RM140++ as I was eligible for the discounts given to pensioners.

What are the features of the Business Class Coach?

1. It had a 2+1 seats in the coach. Therefore there was a bigger leg room for passengers. The coach looked more luxurious, the floor was fully carpeted and the fabric of the seats was also of a better design and quality.

2. The ticket inspector was more formally dressed and that seemed to be her only job on the train.

3. One could find a 3-pin power point and a USB charging port for your mobiles and other electronic gadgets.

4. Meals were served on board, twice.

The first round of meal comprised of light snacks: coffee/tea, fruit juice, chocolate muffin, ground nuts and chocolate flavoured popcorn.

[The red bag contained earphones and eye mask]

The second round was the main meal: Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice [the same "Santan" brand you get on AirAsia] and a bottle of Spritzer mineral water.

5. There was also on board entertainment. The tablet however did not offer a lot of options except two or three games. It came with internet line so you could go online and watch Youtube.

6. The toilet in the coach was exclusively for the Business Class ticket holders. One did not have to share with the other passengers in the other coaches.

the ERL Airport Train beside

Will I consider traveling on the Business Class again?

Yes, as it is more comfortable and when I feel I need to sleep throughout my journey - and that will happen soon.

THE 21ST DAY OF EID 1447H

  10TH APRIL 2026   ~ The guests who came visiting on the 21st day of Eid came all the way from Kuala Lumpur. Puan Adila Ahmad [a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993] and her two daughters were here to actually attend a relative's wedding reception. The wedding venue was at a hotel located near my house so it was the best time to pay me a visit for the very first time.

I went to fetch them at Kempas Baru Station when they arrived from Kuala Lumpur on KTM ETS train at 12:00 noon.

When friends came to my house, they were interested to see the garden in the backyard. By doing that, they could easily visualize and understand my description when I talk about my gardening activities in the Whatsapp group.

We then adjourned to a food court in Kampung Melayu for a very late lunch before sending them to their hotel [which was also in Kampung Melayu].

VIDEO: arriving at Kempas Baru Train Station

MY FIRST TIME ON THE ETS TRAIN FROM JOHOR BAHRU

4TH APRIL 2026 ~ I finally made my first trip on the new KTMB ETS train from Johor Bahru northbound. The final destination of the coaches I boarded would be Padang Besar, but I disembarked in Seremban.

I arrived at Johor Bahru Sentral, the first boarding point of the south part of the country, at 6:30 a.m. The train was scheduled to depart at 7:30 a.m. but the passengers were allowed to board the train as early as 7:00 a.m. Bear in mind, one has to check in at least 5 minutes before departure time. Being late, you will not be permitted to embark on your journey as the system will be locked.

I got my tickets online, via the apps called KITS Style. Senior Citizens and Government Servant Retirees are entitled to special discounts for the tickets. I got 50% of my regular trips of the day. 

My coach looked brand new and clean, in contrast with the one I was in many years ago, Surprisingly, I enjoyed the 3-hour trip on the train, and I felt the journey was a short one, unlike travelling on an express bus.

I went to the train cafe for breakfast. There were only four seats if you decided to eat your food there right in front on the counter, Or else, you would have to enjoy your food at your seat and the smell of your food will be shared by almost everybody sitting in the same coach and the person sitting beside you especially.

I took the Mee Hoon with three pieces of Kuih, and 3-in-1 Nescafe which cost me RM13. Not as expensive as the food sold in a flight, even the Mee Hoon was tasty.

VIDEO: THE FIRST 3-MINUTE OF THE ETS RIDE

I took the 7:15 p.m. train back to Johor Bahru on the same day. The coach this time was slightly older. I did not enjoy the evening trip as there was not much to be seen outside and the lights in the coaches were not dimmed so sleeping was difficult.

The train should be a popular means of transport as all the seats were full both ways. There is a possibility, I might take the train again for my future travel.