WITH the Electric Train Service (ETS) between Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur up and running, many travellers are opting for the service to skip the hours-long gridlock during festive time.
Singaporean civil servant Muhammad Syahmi Raidauddin, 24, said the ETS was a more practical option to go to his Malaysian wife’s hometown in Kuala Lumpur.
“However, passengers are required to be at the airport two hours before the flight. There are also more time-consuming procedures involved.
“If we take all of these into consideration, there is not much difference in terms of travel time,” he said.
Taking the train for the first time was Singaporean cleaner Mohamad Jasman Mohamad Johan, 55, who is visiting family members in Pulau Sebang, Melaka.
“We just got our tickets last week, and thankfully, there were still enough for my family and me.
“It is exciting as this is the first time we get to know how it feels to be on the ETS,” he said, adding that the service also allowed his family to avoid getting stuck in traffic.
On March 19, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) chief operating officer Afzar Zakariya said 217,000 tickets or 86% of those offered for the Raya travel period, were sold as at 9am that day.
“Train tickets for routes involving the northern states have been fully sold out, while limited seats remain for the southern routes,” he said, adding that the most in-demand routes were those departing from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh and Padang Besar.
Teacher Jalilah Syazana, 32, was relieved to get the fast-selling tickets as she could avoid being stuck in traffic for hours when travelling to her hometown of Seremban in Negri Sembilan.
“All these years, I have been travelling to my hometown either by bus or car, and it usually takes about four to five hours to reach.
“This time, I chose to board the ETS so that I could experience using the new train,” said Jalilah who was travelling with her two daughters.
Another commuter Nor Syuhadah Hani, 26, said although the ETS was not initially her first option, she was glad to have eventually decided on it as her mode of transportation for Raya this year.
“Our car is still in the workshop because we had an accident recently, so we had no choice but to think of something else.
“We finally opted for the train. Honestly, that is the best decision we made,” she said, adding that her family of three would be taking the ETS more often.
The hairstylist, who worked in Singapore, said the train not only allowed passengers to avoid traffic congestion, but also made them feel safer with a more child-friendly environment.
“My husband and I are travelling with our two-year-old son from here to Kuala Lumpur Sentral before taking another train from there to our hometown in Ipoh, Perak.
“It is not easy to travel with toddlers as they can get restless during long journeys, but the train makes things easier as there is space for them to walk around,” she said.
