KTM East Coast railway line

This article is about the metre gauge railway line. For the future standard gauge railway line, see MRL East Coast Rail Link.

KTM East Coast Line
KTM East Coast Line at Gua Musang
Overview
Other name	Jungle Railway
Native name	Landasan Keretapi KTM Pantai Timur (Malay) மலாயா கிழக்கு கடற்கரை தொடருந்த வழித்தடம் (Tamil) 东海岸铁路线 (Simplified Chinese) 東海岸鐵路線 (Traditional Chinese)
Owner	Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Locale	Peninsular Malaysia
Termini	Tumpat Gemas
Continues as	West Coast Line
Stations	67
Service
Type	Inter-city rail Freight rail
Services	KTM Intercity KTM Kargo
Operator	Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Depots	Tumpat Kuala Krai Gua Musang Kuala Lipis
History
Opened	4 April 1910 (1910-04-04)
Completed	5 September 1931 (1931-09-05)
Technical
Number of tracks	1
Character	Scenic route
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Route map Tumpat Depot Tumpat Kampung Kok Pasir Palekbang Wakaf Bharu Bunut Susu Kampung Machang Southern Line Thailand Malaysia border Rantau Panjang Gual Periok Repek Pasir Mas Pasir Mas Junction Chica Tinggi To'Uban Sungai Keladi Bukit Panau Tanah Merah Kampung Paloh Rawa Guillemard Bridge Temangan Sungai Nal Kuala Krai Depot Kuala Krai Pahi Manek Urai Kampung Baru Sungai Mengkuang Ulu Temiang Ulak Jeram Kampung Baru Bukit Abu Bukit Abu Kuala Gris Dabong Kemubu Sri Jaya Sri Mahligai Sri Bintang Sungai Tasin Jerek Baru Bertam Bertam Baru Limau Kasturi Sungai Sirian Kampung Sungai Sirian Sungai Koyan Pan Malayan Gua Musang Depot Gua Musang Lapan Tupai Mentara Baru Kelantan Pahang border Merapoh Telok Gunong Kubang Rasa Sungai Temau Chegar Perah Aur Gading Dura Kampung Berkam Bukit Betong Telang Padang Tengku Kuala Lipis Depot Kuala Lipis Kerambit Mela Jerantut Yard Jerantut Jenderak Kuala Krau Kerdau Semantan River Bridge Mentakab Yard Mentakab  ECR  Sungai Belengu Belengu Mengkarak Triang Kemayan Pahang Negeri Sembilan border Sungai Lui Ayer Hitam Kuala Pilah (closed 1931) Bahau Junction Bahau Jongkat Rompin West Coast Line to Padang Besar Londah Gemas Junction Gemas Depot Gemas  ETS  West Coast Line to Woodlands

The KTM East Coast railway line is a single-track metre gauge railway line in Malaysia that runs between Gemas in Negeri Sembilan and Tumpat in Kelantan. Gemas is the rail junction between the West Coast Line and East Coast Line. Like the West Coast Line, it is called the East Coast railway line because it serves two of Peninsular Malaysia's East Coast states, namely Pahang and Kelantan. However, it does not actually run along the coast at all and only meets the South China Sea when it terminates at Tumpat. It runs through the interior of Peninsular Malaysia, often through deep jungle, thus earning the nickname Jungle Railway. Terengganu is the only state in Peninsular Malaysia not served by the KTM railway network.

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is planned to have an interchange with the East Coast Line at Mentakab and expand the railway network to the cities located in the East Coast, such as Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu.

History

The junction between the KTM West Coast Line (left) and East Coast Line (right) north of Gemas. Most of the stretch of the West Coast Line has been double tracked and electrified to make way for the KTM ETS service, a new higher-speed intercity service introduced by Keretapi Tanah Melayu in 2010.

The East Coast Line was briefly disrupted due to floods which struck the east coast states on 22 December 2014, causing extensive damage to the track infrastructure, signage equipment as well as track maintenance machinery which were submerged underwater. In August 2020, then Malaysian Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said the government had allocated RM874.7m to upgrade track infrastructure and trains at the east coast sector and projected that the railway would resume services by 2021.

On 12 April 2021, KTMB launched its KTM Class 61 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains for the East Coast Line route between Kelantan and Pahang. Wee Ka Siong said the DMU trains were being introduced specifically to replace KTM's conventional diesel trains for KTM Intercity's Shuttle Timuran service between Tumpat and Kuala Lipis. He claimed the new DMU will reduce travel time as the average speed of the train is about 100kph, compared to the conventional trains that run between 50kph and 60kph. The DMU trains, covering 216km from Tumpat and Gua Musang and 94km from Gua Musang to Kuala Lipis, would be fully operational in stages. The Tumpat-Gua Musang-Kuala Lipis route represents the first phase of the upgrading process. The second phase will cover routes to Gemas, while the third phase will cover the Gua Musang–Mentakab stretch along the Pahang route.

Timeline

Source:

• 4 April 1910: Bahau – Gemas
• 1 October 1910: Triang – Bahau
• 1 August 1911: Mentakab – Triang
• 1 March 1912: Kuala Krau – Mentakab
• 16 November 1912: Kuala Teh (closed) – Kuala Krau
• 15 May 1913: Tembing (closed) – Kuala Teh (closed)
• 4 May 1914: Tumpat – Pasir Mas – Tanah Merah
• 15 October 1917: Kuala Lipis – Tembing (closed)
• 1 September 1920: Pasir Mas – Rantau Panjang
• 16 March 1921: Padang Tengku – Kuala Lipis
• 15 November 1923: Chegar Perah – Padang Tengku
• 21 July 1924: Tanah Merah – Kuala Krai
• 17 October 1927: Kuala Krai – Manek Urai
• 5 December 1927: Merapoh – Chegar Perah
• 14 July 1930: Manek Urai – Kuala Gris and Gua Musang – Merapoh
• 5 September 1931: Kuala Gris – Gua Musang

Services

The East Coast railway line is served by the following:

• KTM Intercity
  • Ekspres Rakyat Timuran between Tumpat and JB Sentral via Gemas.
    • The route between Gemas and JB Sentral is part of the West Coast Line while the route between Gemas and Tumpat is on the East Coast Line)
  • Shuttle Timur (stops at all stations and halts)
    • Between Tumpat and Dabong
    • Between Tumpat and Gua Musang
    • Between Tumpat and Kuala Lipis
    • Between Gua Musang and Kuala Lipis
    • Between Kuala Lipis and Gemas
• KTM ETS at Gemas (train services to Padang Besar, Butterworth, KL Sentral, Segamat and JB Sentral on the West Coast Line)

Line network

Tumpat station, the northern terminus of the East Coast line

Gemas station, the southern terminus of the East Coast line

Main line

Station names	Cities, Towns, Landmarks Served	Territory	Cumulative distance (km)	Comments
Tumpat	Tumpat	Kelantan	0.0
Kampung Berangan				Not in service
Kampung Kok Pasir				Halt
Palekbang				Halt, Not in service
Wakaf Bharu	Kota Bharu		14.0	The nearest railway station to Kelantan state capital, Kota Bharu
Bunut Susu			18.1	Halt
Kampung Machang				Halt, Not in use
Pasir Mas	Pasir Mas		24.8	Interchange to Rantau Panjang Branch Line
Chica Tinggi			30.1	Halt
To' Uban			33.4	Halt
Sungai Keladi			39.0	Halt
Bukit Panau			42.0	Halt
Tanah Merah	Tanah Merah		51.5
Sungai Kusial				Not in service
Kampung Paloh Rawa				Halt, Not in service
Temangan	Guillemard Bridge		64.4
Tanjung Bidal				Halt, Not in service
Kampung Bidal				Halt, Not in service
Sungai Nal			77.6	Halt
Kuala Krai	Kuala Krai			84.9
Pahi			92.7	Halt
Manek Urai			101.5
Sungai Mengkuang				Halt, Not in use
Kampung Baru Sungai Mengkuang				Halt
Ulu Temiang			116.1	Halt
Kampung Baru Bukit Abu				Halt
Bukit Abu			127.9
Kuala Gris			131.3	Halt
Dabong	Dabong		139.4
Kemubu			148.2
Sri Jaya			153.4	Halt
Sri Mahligai			155.7	Halt
Sri Bintang			157.6	Halt
Sungai Tasin			159.5	Halt
Jerek Baru			163.6	Halt
Bertam				Halt
Bertam Baru			170.4
Limau Kasturi			178.9
Sungai Sirian				Halt
Kampung Sungai Sirian			186.6	Halt
Sungai Koyan				Halt, Not in service
Pan Malayan			194.7	Halt
Chegar Bongor				Not in service
Sungai Kemudu				Not in service
Kuala Neroh				Not in service
Gua Musang	Gua Musang		206.1
Chin Teck				Not in service
Lapan Tupai				Halt
Mentara				Halt, Not in service
Mentara Baru			226.4	Halt
Merapoh		Pahang	230.8
Merapoh Baharu				Not in service
Telok Gunong			236.2	Halt
Kubang Rasa				Halt, Not in service
Sungai Yu				Not in service
Sungai Temau			255.7
Chegar Perah			264.1
Paya Keladi				Not in service
Aur Gading			271.5	Halt
Dura				Halt, Not in service
Kampung Berkam			278.8	Halt
Bukit Betong	Bukit Betong		284.9	Halt
Kampung Berhala				Halt, Not in service
Telang	Telang			Halt, Not in service
Padang Tengku			291.2
Kuala Ketir				Halt, Not in service
Kuala Lipis	Kuala Lipis		299.9
Kuala Lanar				Not in service
Tanjung Sekawin				Halt, Not in service
Sibar				Halt, Not in service
Batu Sembilan				Halt, Not in service
Kuala Lentang				Not in service
Kerambit			323.1
Sungai Lik				Halt, Not in service
Limau Purut				Not in service
Mela			333.9	Halt
Kampung Sepial				Not in service
Tembeling				Not in service
Padang Piol				Not in service
Paya Teh				Not in service
Teh				Halt, Not in service
Jerantut	Jerantut Temerloh		353.3
Jeransong				Not in service
Jendarak	362.0			Halt
Mai				Halt, Not in service
Kuala Krau			379.1
Sungai Dalam				Not in service
Tekal				Halt, Not in service
Kerdau				Halt
Mentakab	Mentakab		405.5
Sungai Belengu				Not in service
Mengkarak			427.8
Mentri				Not in service
Triang	Teriang		437.8
Mengkuang				Halt, Not in service
Kemayan			444.9
Ayer Hitam		Negeri Sembilan		Not in service
Bahau	Bahau		490.8
Rompin				Not in service
Londah				Not in service
Gemas	Gemas		527.7	Interchange with West Coast Line
(Continue to West Coast Line)

Rantau Panjang branch line

Station names	Cities, Towns, Landmarks Served	Territory	Cumulative distance (km)	Comments
Rantau Panjang Junction between Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah stations (Continue to main East Coast Line)
Pasir Mas	Pasir Mas	Kelantan
Repek				Not in service
Lubok Batil				Not in service
Gual Periok				Not in service
Gual Sitok				Not in service
Rantau Panjang	Rantau Panjang			Not in service
(Continue to SRT Southern Line in Thailand)

Further reading

• Raw, Oliver (24 November 2022). "A long-awaited journey on Malaysia's 'jungle' railway". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
• Sutton, David (3 February 2020). "A train journey through the jungle into Malaysia's colonial past". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 30 November 2022.

External links

• Jungle Railway in Malaysia – The best train times and most scenic sections