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Thursday, July 30, 2015

Shuttle Train from JB Sentral to Singapore - A Convenient, Jam-Free to Cross the Causeway!

Nowadays, getting across the causeway to indulge in a day trip filled with shopping, dining etc given the stronger Singapore dollar can be a chore with transnational traffic jams that last for hours!

If you have read the news, you should have known of this new shuttle train service that transit between both checkpoints of Malaysia and Singapore, which was about a kilometer apart.

Today, i am going to share with you my experience of taking the shuttle although the journey was from JB Sentral back to Singapore; in my case, it was much easier and cheaper to take the CW buses from Kranji MRT Station all the way to Malaysia.

Recommendation: Buy your advance tickets (back to Singapore) once you arrive in Malaysia. The counter is located at this building with KFC, Starbucks, Rotiboy and quite a number of kiosks. 

One ticket per person cost RM 5.00. Why did i suggest buying first? Because they have run out of tickets before and having a confirmed timing does make you more focused on what you want to do without wasting your time and eventually missing your bus (it happened to me before).

Schedule as appended above for your information. I am generally agreeable with the first five advantages; for the six "avoid long queue", i beg to differ!

Arrived at 5pm, we went through the customs in batches for passport-chopping by the Malaysia side. The limited staff and counters would mean the wait wasn't exactly short.

Knowing which carriage to enter is important as there would be a mad rush to the Singapore custom when the train pulls into the Singapore's checkpoint. Note the head of the train, walk the opposite direction towards the tail end and find a seat. 

Train interior - bright definitely and comfortable i guess depends on your context but for a ride that takes about five minutes, i am not complaining except for the fact that we had to wait for scheduled departure timing and the air-conditioning didn't seem to work! 

Another key thing to note is that i am unsure if seat numbers are given and there were passengers who didn't manage to get a seat! Oh well, it's only five minutes anyway!

Fuzzy picture as i was stopped by a policewoman; as expected, no photography / videography allowed. For Singaporeans who are accustomed to using the self service terminal using their biometric, be prepared for a long wait as there were only three terminals! It might be faster to queue at the manned counters!

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Verdict
Yes, i would definitely use the service again as i don't have to endure the traffic jam at the vehicular causeway which can be rather tiring when you don't have a seat! I would pray that the air-conditioning god works his/her magic...

p.s. After you exit the complex, walk over to the old Woodlands Town Centre for the cheap cheng tng and lip smacking good seafood soup

2 comments:

  1. Hi....thank you for the information. Is it easy to find the ticket booth in JB Sentral? Thank you

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    Replies
    1. Hallo! It's easy to find the ticket booth; it's actually along the way from the immigration to City Square. :)

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