Malaysia: Travelling by train from Singapore

A good example of the ups and downs in Malaysia-Singapore relations is the way immigration formalities for train passengers from Singapore to Malaysia are done. Both Malaysia and Singapore were handling immigration controls at Tanjong Pagar railway station until 1998 when Singapore moved its checkpoint to Woodlands station. Malaysia, however, refused to move, as doing so would have caused the country to lose its claim on the prime real estate on which Tanjong Pagar station sits in downtown Singapore. As such, Malaysian immigration checks are still conducted at Tanjong Pagar where passports are NOT stamped but merely "scanned" for entry into Malaysia. Passengers then proceed to Woodlands where they are stamped out of Singapore. Thus, you will never get a Malaysian entry stamp if you enter the country via train from Singapore. In the other direction, Malaysian immigration formalities are conducted on board trains in Johor Baru. Trains then cross the Causeway to Woodlands where Singapore immigration formalities are done.