The West Coast main trunk line stretches from Padang Besar on the Malaysia-Thailand border to Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore. The main trunk line is double-tracked and electrified from Padang Besar to Gemas. From Gemas to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, the line is single-tracked and not electrified. Loops at stations allow trains to pass. Double tracking and electrification works are currently being carried out. The West Coast railway line connects with the State Railway of Thailand at Padang Besar, while the East Coast line branches off at Gemas.
Branch lines
The West Coast railway line includes several branch lines from the main trunk line, namely:
The Bukit Mertajam Junction to Butterworth, Batu Junction to Batu Caves, Port Klang Junction to Port Klang station, as well as the branch lines to Terminal Skypark and Northport are double tracked and electrified. The line from Port Klang to Westport and its shipping terminals, as well as the branch lines between Skudai Junction and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and the Kempas Baru and Pasir Gudang are single lines and not electrified. There are also branch lines where the tracks exist but are not used for any service or closed are:
The West Coast railway line was developed in stretches between 1885 with the opening of the Taiping-Port Weld Line, and 1932 when the line opened up to, thus spanning the entire west coast of Peninsular Malaysia from on the Malaysia-Thai border to Singapore. The line began with the construction of branches linking coastal ports with inland tin mining areas before they were gradually linked up by the main truck line running through the interior of the West Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia. The latest new lines to be built were the branch lines to West Port, North Port, Tanjung Pelepas, Pasir Gudang and the North Butterworth Container Terminal. The trunk line had also seen sections becoming disused, abandoned or even removed, with the latest being the closure and subsequent removal of the southernmost stretch of track between the Woodlands Train Checkpoint and in 2011.
Projects
Gemas–Johor Bahru electrification and double-tracking
After many years of announcements about the intention to upgrade the final stretch of single track of the West Coast Line, the Government began the public display exercise for the Gemas–Johor Bahru electrification and double-tracking project on 27 October 2015. The public display exercise, required for all development of new railways under Section 84 of Malaysia's Land Public Transport Act 2010, will run until 27 January 2016. According to documents on display to the public, construction is expected to begin in 2016 and be completed in 2021. The length of the line to be electrified and double-tracked is 197 km between Chainage 563.040 at Gemas dan Chainage 754.180 at Johor Bahru. The project includes the construction of 11 stations at,,,,,,,,, and, and 3 future stations at, and. The upgraded line is supposed to cater for at least 22 services daily involving KTM ETS, KTM Intercity and shuttle train services. The documents displayed also stated that the electrification for the stretch will have the same specifications as that of the Seremban-Gemas stretch, name at 25 kV AC 50 Hz single phase and supplied via an overhead catenary. Train operations for this stretch will be integrated with the Train Control Centres at KL Sentral and Gemas. The design speed for the tracks is 160 km/h. On 11 December 2015, the Chinese company China Railway Construction Company has been awarded to build the Gemas–Johor Bahru electrification and double-tracking project.
