First riders: Mohamed Suhaimi (fifth from right) and Loh (second from left) inside the Komuter from Ipoh heading to Butterworth.
IPOH: The KTMB Komuter Utara Train of the Ipoh–Butterworth–Ipoh route, which is expected to attract at least 2,000 passengers daily, will help boost tourism numbers during the coming Visit Perak Year.KTMB chief corporate officer Mohamed Suhaimi Yaacob said the number could be higher, especially during peak hours.
“There will be 20 trips a day with an hour’s gap for peak hours. For normal hours, the train will come every two hours.
“The train will stop at 23 stations from Ipoh including Sungai Siput and Kuala Kangsar until Butterworth, Penang,” he told reporters at the Ipoh Train Station here yesterday.
Other stops are Padang Rengas, Taiping, Kamunting, Bagan Serai, Parit Buntar, Nibong Tebal and Simpang Empat.
Mohamed Suhaimi said the Komuter Utara previously ran on the Padang Rengas–Butterworth–Padang Rengas route.
“The train can take up to 450 passengers per trip. The targeted figure excludes the passengers using the Electric Train Service (ETS),” he added.
Perak Tourism committee chairman Loh Sze Yee, who was also present, said plans for the upgrading of several stations were in the pipeline.
“I was informed that the Transport Ministry and the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) are currently looking to upgrade several stations.
“However, before this can be done, we will focus on cleaning up and beautifying the area first.
“The newly-extended route will certainly help boost our tourism sector as well as assist in the coming Visit Perak Year preparation,” he added.
The ticket price from Ipoh to Butterworth for adults is RM12.80 one way and half price for children, senior citizens and the disabled.
Beginning yesterday, the first Komuter train from Ipoh to Butterworth starts at 4.40am while the service from Butterworth to Ipoh commences at 5.30am. The last train from Ipoh to Butterworth is at 6.35pm while the one from Butterworth is at 7.10pm.
