PLUS Expressway, North-South Expressway (E1 & E2)

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.

PLUS Expressway
PLUS Expressway

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.

Overview of North-South Expressway

This PLUS Expressway passes through 7 states on the peninsula: Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah.

North-South Expressway (PLUS) Map
North-South Expressway (PLUS), View larger version, Check PLUS toll fare

It provides a faster alternative to the old Federal Route 1, thus reducing travelling time between various towns & cities.

The PLUS Expressway is part of the Asian Highway Network of route AH2.

North-South Expressway
The North-South Expressway is divided into 2 main routes – the Northern Route (E1) and the Southern Route (E2).

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.

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.

North-South Expressway Northern Route

The 460km North-South Expressway Northern Route, or the Alor Setar-Penang Bridge-Kuala Lumpur Route, designated as expressway E1 and is part of highway 2 of the Asian Highway Network, is a mostly tolled, interstate controlled-access highway in Peninsular Malaysia.

Northern Route, North-South Expressway
Near Ipoh, Perak, Northern Route, North-South Expressway
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).

North-South Expressway Southern Route

The 312km North-South Expressway Southern Route, or the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban-Malacca Johor Bahru Route, designated as E2, is the southern part of the North-South Expressway, is one of the longest expressways in Malaysia.

Southern Route, North-South Expressway
Near Ayer Keroh, Malacca, Southern Route, North-South Expressway
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 along PLUS Expressway

  • Rest and service areas located about 60 km from each other
  • Layby parking areas are located approximately every two junctions
  • Emergency phones every 2 km
  • 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 – 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)

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

Check Toll Fare for North-South Expressway Central Link
Enter Station
Exit Station
Use this tool to check the toll fare you have to pay when driving on North-South Expressway (PLUS Expressway)

Open System Toll Rates

North-South Expressway
Location Class 1
Class 1 Vehicle		 Class 2
Class 2 Vehicle		 Class 3
Class 3 Vehicle
Bukit Kayu Hitam 3.60 5.30 7.20
Jitra 1.60 2.30 3.10
Sg. Rasau 1.00 1.30 2.00
Batu Tiga 1.10 1.50 2.20
Kempas 2.10 3.20 4.10
Johor Bahru Causeway 2.90 4.50 6.10
Bangunan Sultan Iskandar 2.90 4.50 6.10
Location Class 4
Class 4 Vehicle		 Class 5
Class 5 Vehicle
Bukit Kayu Hitam 1.70 2.60
Jitra 0.80 1.20
Sg. Rasau 0.40 0.80
Batu Tiga 0.40 0.90
Kempas 1.10 1.40
Johor Bahru Causeway 1.40 2.30
Bangunan Sultan Iskandar 1.40 2.30
SecondLink
Location Class 1
Class 1 Vehicle		 Class 2
Class 2 Vehicle		 Class 3
Class 3 Vehicle
Tanjung Kupang 7.50 17.10 34.30
Lima Kedai 3.90 7.80 9.80
Perling 2.30 4.60 5.70
Location Class 0
Class 0 Vehicle		 Class 4
Class 4 Vehicle		 Class 5
Class 5 Vehicle
Tanjung Kupang 1.10 5.70 9.10
Lima Kedai – 2.00 3.90
Perling – 1.10 2.30
Seremban-Port Dickson Highway
Location Class 1
Class 1 Vehicle		 Class 2
Class 2 Vehicle		 Class 3
Class 3 Vehicle
Mambau 3.20 6.30 9.50
Lukut 0.80 1.40 2.20
Location Class 4
Class 4 Vehicle		 Class 5
Class 5 Vehicle
Mambau 3.20 6.30
Lukut 0.80 1.40
Butterworth-Kulim Expressway
Location Class 1
Class 1 Vehicle		 Class 2
Class 2 Vehicle		 Class 3
Class 3 Vehicle
Kubang Semang 1.60 3.20 4.80
Lunas 1.60 3.20 4.80
Location Class 4
Class 4 Vehicle		 Class 5
Class 5 Vehicle
Kubang Semang 0.80 1.60
Lunas 0.80 1.60

Technical Specifications

North-South Expressway
Expressway 1 Expressway 2
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
Expressway 15 Federal Route 4 AH140 Butterworth-Kulim Expressway
Expressway 36 Penang Bridge
Expressway 28 Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge
Expressway 35 Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE)
Expressway 1 AH2 AH141 New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE)
Expressway 6 AH2 North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE)
Expressway 18 Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK)
Expressway 29 Seremban-Port Dickson Highway
Expressway 3 AH143 Second Link Expressway
Expressway 14 AH2 Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway
South end Johor Bahru, Johor
Overview of North-South Expressway

North-South Expressway (PLUS) Map

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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