PETALING JAYA: Those hoping to ride KTM Bhd’s (KTMB) Electric Train Service (ETS) to Johor Baru will have to wait until the end of the year, if not next year, for their hopes to become a reality.
An inspection by The Star along 180km alignment from Segamat to JB Sentral recently found that it is impossible for ETS services to reach the southern city anytime this quarter as significant electrification and signalling works remain incomplete, especially along the 100km stretch between Kluang and JB Sentral.
At the section near Johor Baru, the catenary system is still incomplete, with contact wires and other critical components of the overhead line equipment (OHLE) yet to be installed.
OHLE is the system of overhead wires and supporting structures that supply electricity to power electric trains, and it is a critical part of railway electrification.
Incomplete: A lot of work still needs to be done to KTMB’s rail electrification and signalling infrastructure in the second half of the Gemas-JB double tracking project. At JB Sentral (pic), only a rudimentary pole structure is seen on July 28. — MENG YEW CHOONG/The Star
The 192km stretch from Gemas to Johor Baru has been touted by some to be ready for service by August, with Transport Minister Anthony Loke saying so earlier in the year.
However, there has been no update since the short stretch between Gemas and Segamat began ETS operations on March 15.
When KTMB opened advance ticket sales on June 30 for travel up to Dec 31, no southbound ETS tickets were offered beyond Segamat.
Last Wednesday, KTMB announced the suspension of its advance ticket sales beyond December, apologising that it will not be offering January 2026 tickets anytime soon.
It typically opens ticket sales up to six months in advance.
According to train systems specialist Yuslizar Daud, the process of fully installing and testing an overhead electrical system can be lengthy.
“Stringing of the OHLE, tensioning, adjustment with the tracks, energisation, testing and commissioning will take considerable time. Then there is the final inspection by the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) before the green light is given.
“I don’t see (from the picture) how it can be ready even by September,” said Yuslizar, the former head of the now-defunct Land Public Transport Commission’s Rail Division.
However, it is understood that KTMB is attempting to accelerate the opening of the 90km stretch from Segamat to Kluang, so that ETS services can be extended to Kluang by this quarter, though it seems that KTMB has yet to submit the relevant application to Apad.
Also happening at the same time is the testing of new ETS train sets, which recently arrived from China, in line with the statutory requirement for the first unit – known as the golden train – to log at least 8,000km without demonstrating any fault in what is known as the fault-free run (FFR).
FFR is a standard requirement to ensure the integrity of the entire system before it could be deployed for commercial operations, and all new train sets are required to undergo the procedure, though similar sets may pass with a lower testing mileage provided the golden train clocks 8,000km or more flawlessly.
It is assumed that KTMB will attempt to operate ETS services to Kluang using its older ETS trains, if Apad gives the green light for the stretch to open for service.
Queries sent to KTMB and the Transport Ministry did not yield any insight, with the respective agencies asking The Star to contact the “other side” instead.
