The North-South Expressway (NSE), or PLUS Expressway, is the longest controlled-access expressway in Malaysia with the total length of about 772 km running from Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah near the Malaysian-Thai border to Johor Bahru at the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia and to Singapore.
The expressway links many major cities and towns in western Peninsular Malaysia, acting as the ‘backbone’ of the west coast of the peninsula.
It is also known as PLUS Expressway, named after the highway’s concessionaire, Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan Berhad.
The PLUS Expressway passes through 7 states on the peninsula: Johor, Melaka (Malacca), Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah.
The PLUS Expressway provides a faster alternative to the old Federal Route 1, thus reducing travelling time between various towns and cities.
It is part of the Asian Highway Network of route AH2.
The North-South Expressway is divided into 2 main routes:
Both routes run in parallel with the Federal Route 1 from Johor Bahru to Bukit Kayu Hitam (except the Simpang Ampat – Yong Peng section to provide an access to Malacca City), where both terminus of the FT1 (Johor Bahru and Bukit Kayu Hitam) serve as the Kilometre Zero of the E2 and E1 respectively, while Kuala Lumpur serves as the Final Kilometre for both routes.
| Route | Kilometre Zero | Final Kilometre | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | Bukit Kayu Hitam | Kuala Lumpur | 460km |
| E2 | Johore Bahru | Kuala Lumpur | 312km |
While the E2 ends exactly at the Selangor-Kuala Lumpur border at KM310, the E1 ends at Exit 108 Bukit Lanjan Interchange at KM460 before proceeding to the city via the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), which is also gazetted as Expressway E1.
The E1 and E2 expressways are linked together via the North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE).
Constructed in phases over a period of seven years, the North-South Expressway was officially opened on September 8 1994, signaling the coming of age of Malaysia’s road transportation system.
Northern Route, North-South Expressway
The 460km North-South Expressway Northern Route, or the Alor Setar-Penang Bridge-Kuala Lumpur Route, designated as expressway E1.
It is part of highway 2 of the Asian Highway Network, is a mostly tolled, interstate controlled-access highway in Peninsular Malaysia.
The E1 expressway forms the north section of the larger North-South Expressway, passing through the northwestern states of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor.
The expressway begins at the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah where the Malaysia-Thailand border lies, and ends at Bukit Lanjan in Selangor where the expressway interchanges with the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE).
Southern Route, North-South Expressway
The 312km North-South Expressway Southern Route, or the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban-Malacca Johor Bahru Route, designated as E2.
It is the southern part of the North-South Expressway, is one of the longest expressways in Malaysia.
The E2 expressway forms the south section of the larger North-South Expressway, oriented in a north-south direction, traversing four states in Peninsular Malaysia; namely Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.
The North-South Expressway Southern Route begins in the southern part of Kuala Lumpur, at Sungai Besi.
Its southern terminus (Kilometre Zero) is at Pandan, Johor Bahru.
Facilities and services
- Rest and service areas located about 60 km from each other
- Lay-Bys parking areas are located approximately every two junctions
- Vista Points for travellers to rest and relax while enjoying breathtaking views of the Highway
- Petrol stations
- Self-service kiosks
- Emergency phones every 2km
- PLUSLINE hotline number
- PLUS Ronda (PLUS patrol) service to assist drivers in the event of vehicle problems on the expressway
- PLUS helicopter patrol unit to monitor PLUS expressways
PLUS Toll Systems
The North-South Expressway is a toll expressway with two toll systems:
- Open system
- Closed system
1 Open system – Users only have to pay at certain toll plazas within the open system range for a fixed amount.
“Open system” is used in the following stretches of the North-South Expressway:
- Batu Tiga and Sungai Rasau (Selangor)
- Bukit Kayu Hitam (Kedah)
- Jitra, (Kedah)
- Penang Bridge
- Kubang Semang (Penang) and Lunas (Kedah)
- Kempas (Johor)
- Johor-Singapore Causeway
- Lukut and Mambau (Negeri Sembilan)
- Tanjung Kupang, Taman Perling and Lima Kedai (Johor)
Open system toll rates
| Location | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bukit Kayu Hitam | 3.60 | 5.30 | 7.20 | 1.70 | 2.60 |
| Jitra | 1.60 | 2.30 | 3.10 | 0.80 | 1.20 |
| Sg. Rasau | 1.00 | 1.30 | 2.00 | 0.40 | 0.80 |
| Batu Tiga | 1.10 | 1.50 | 2.20 | 0.40 | 0.90 |
| Kempas | 2.10 | 3.20 | 4.10 | 1.10 | 1.40 |
| Johor Bahru Causeway | 2.90 | 4.50 | 6.10 | 1.40 | 2.30 |
| Bangunan Sultan Iskandar | 2.90 | 4.50 | 6.10 | 1.40 | 2.30 |
| Location | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 0 | Class 4 | Class 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanjung Kupang | 7.50 | 17.10 | 34.30 | 1.10 | 5.70 | 9.10 |
| Lima Kedai | 3.90 | 7.80 | 9.80 | – | 2.00 | 3.90 |
| Perling | 2.30 | 4.60 | 5.70 | – | 1.10 | 2.30 |
| Location | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mambau | 3.20 | 6.30 | 9.50 | 3.20 | 6.30 |
| Lukut | 0.80 | 1.40 | 2.20 | 0.80 | 1.40 |
| Location | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kubang Semang | 1.60 | 3.20 | 4.80 | 0.80 | 1.60 |
| Lunas | 1.60 | 3.20 | 4.80 | 0.80 | 1.60 |
2 Closed system – Users collect toll tickets or PLUSTransit cards before entering the expressway at respective toll plazas and pay an amount of toll at the exit toll plaza plus the distance from the plaza to the Limit of Maintenance Responsibility (LMR).
Closed system toll rates
KLIA Toll Plaza
KLIA Toll Plaza is a tollbooth in Selangor. KLIA Toll Plaza is situated nearby to Commonwealth Games 1998 Statue, and southwest of Bukit Tampoi.
You will pay the toll at this toll plaza if you use the PLUS highway to go to the airports.
Technical Specifications
| North-South Expressway | |
|---|---|
  North-South Expressway | |
| Length | 772km (480 mi) – Northern Route (460km), Southern Route (312km) |
| Existed | 1981 – present |
| History | Completed in 1994 |
| North End | Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah |
   Butterworth-Kulim Expressway | |
 Penang Bridge | |
 Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge | |
 Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE) | |
   New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) | |
 North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE) | |
 Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK) | |
 Seremban-Port Dickson Highway | |
  Second Link Expressway | |
 Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway | |
| South end | Johor Bahru, Johor |
Overview of North-South Expressway
Contact PLUS Management
| PLUS Malaysia Berhad | |
|---|---|
| Address | Menara Korporat, Persada PLUS, Persimpangan Bertingkat Subang, KM15, Lebuhraya Baru Lembah Klang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor |
| Contact | +603 7801 6666, +603 7666 4666 |
| Hotline | 1800 88 0000 |
| Website | www.plus.com.my |
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