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.

GETTING ON THE SPEED TRAIN FROM BANDUNG TO JAKARTA

   24th FEBRUARY 2025    ~ After taking the 3-hour Panoramic Train from Jakarta to Bandung [READ HERE AND HERE], we took the other type of train to get back to Jakarta from Bandung. It was the speed train known as Whoosh, and the whole journey took about an hour. The train we took stopped at two stations before arriving in Jakarta.

The train was almost empty at the time when we were there. I think there were just about 20 passengers who boarded from Tegalluar Station in Bandung.

bread and coffee bought from the train cafe

The last stop was Halim Station in Jakarta, and our mission to be in Jakarta and Bandung was accomplished.

[MY JAKARTA/BANDUNG TRIP 2025 MAIN PAGE]

THE PANORAMIC TRAIN RIDE FROM JAKARTA TO BANDUNG - PART 2

   22ND FEBRUARY 2025    ~ In the Panoramic Coach, snacks and coffee/tea were served as included in the ticket charge. The coffee and tea were bottomless. so you always asked for a refill.

During the last one hour of the journey, you could asked for the seats to be rotated so that you could sit facing the glass windows. However, you would need to ask the permission from the people sitting in front and behind you to do that. If you have long legs, or if you are overweight, then the position of the rotated seats would be uncomfortable as there was very narrow leg space. You have been warned.

Only a few seats in my row were rotated during the journey.

Along this stretch of the journey, there was also some kind of narrative being aired on the PA system on the train of the view outside. Unfortunately, the audio was not that clear and it was time the sound system to be upgraded.

At one point, the train had to stop at this one small station as it had to wait for the other train coming from Bandung, going towards Jakarta. The journey was resumed once that particular train had gone past us. I could conclude the railway system here was still the single rail track.

After about 3 hours, we finally reached the 

city of Bandung. The mission to go on the Panoramic Train ride from Jakarta was accomplished. On one hand, the train is now a tourist attraction of Indonesia. On the other hand, there is no direct flight [I think] from Kuala Lumpur to Bandung as the government is expecting people to take the train ride from Jakarta. Even the new airport in Bandung is located faraway from the city centre.

I will try to add in more videos once I managed to get them edited and published on YouTube later.

[MY JAKARTA/BANDUNG TRIP 2025 MAIN PAGE]