JOHOR BARU: It was a lucky coincidence for a teenager here who got to board Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd’s (KTMB) Southern Express train for the first time just one day before the service ends its run.
Muhammad Arif Saadan, 16, said he had always wanted to go take the train service, but never had the chance to do so before this.
“My friend and I decided to ride the train to Gemas to visit our friends there. We opted for the train since its schedule fitted our plan.
“It was just a coincidence, but I am thankful for it, as I may not have had the chance to ever experience being on this train if we had decided to opt for a different form of transportation,” said the student when met at JB Sentral here yesterday.
In a statement on Monday, KTMB announced that its Southern Express train service on the Gemas-JB Sentral-Gemas route, which had been operating for nine years, will be terminated effective Jan 1.
The move is part of an adjustment to planning and the optimisation of passenger service operations along the southern corridor, in line with the progress and infrastructure readiness of the Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrified Double Tracking Project.
Muhammad Arif said he was unaware about the ceasing of the Southern Express train service.
“Now that I know about this, I feel very lucky,” he added.
Another passenger who got the chance to ride the train before the end of the service was sales executive Benenett Sai, 31, who was heading to Kulai.
“I rarely use this service, but I happened to have something to do in Kulai so I decided to take the train.
“I have probably only boarded this train about three times previously. And I am glad that I got to experience it before it becomes a piece of history,” said Sai, who works in Singapore.
Factory operator P. Shalini, who also works in Singapore, said the train service had served her well.
“It gave me the convenience of travelling to my hometown in Kluang without much hassle.
“I started using the train since I began working in Singapore about six months ago. The train service made my life easier. I can just take the Tebrau shuttle from Singapore to here before hopping on this train to reach my hometown,” she said.
Shalini said that she plans to take the Electric Train Service (ETS) for her future trips.
“I opted to take this train (yesterday) simply because the schedule fits my timing perfectly.
“From January onwards, I will most likely ride the ETS since this service will soon be offering more trips, allowing me to have more options to choose from,” she said.
