KTMB to run 58 daily train rides for travellers
KUALA LUMPUR: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will operate 58 daily Electric Train Service (ETS) trips this Chinese New Year, boosting capacity to meet surging balik kampung demand, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
With the addition of three new ETS train sets, KTMB has introduced 16 extra ETS services for the festive season, raising the total from 42 to 58 daily trips.
“This is one of the highest numbers of ETS services in our history.
“We aimed at meeting the surge in balik kampung travel demand,” he said at KL Sentral during a press conference yesterday.
For the Chinese New Year period from Feb 13 to Feb 22, KTMB is offering about 183,000 tickets in total, comprising 131,000 existing ETS tickets, an additional 44,100 ETS tickets and 7,300 Electric Multiple Unit Plus (EMU+) tickets.
Two additional large-capacity trips, offering a combined 5,040 seats, will run from Feb 15 to Feb 22 using the eighth ETS set.
Loke said ETS tickets for February, including KTM InterCity and shuttle services, have been available since Nov 17 to allow passengers to plan their journeys early.
Currently, KTMB operates 42 ETS services and 49 KTM InterCity services daily. The strong response to the ETS3 service to Johor Baru has also prompted further expansion, with up to 10 train sets expected to serve the southern sector in the coming weeks.
“Since it was introduced, tickets for ETS3 have consistently sold out. We will open two more trains within the next one to two weeks,” he said.
He explained that the additional ETS sets for the southern corridor would also benefit northern routes, as trains operate across multiple sectors, allowing seats to be resold along different segments of the journey.
He also added that traffic congestion typically peaks about a week before CNY, driven by company annual dinners, shopping trips and early balik kampung travel.
“This trend happens every year before Chinese New Year, and similarly during Ramadan at evening peak hours.”
While rail capacity has been increased, Loke acknowledged that Malaysia remains largely car-centric, with millions of vehicles on highways during peak periods.
“Even if we add 50,000 train seats, compared to two million vehicles on the road, it is still a small percentage.
“Long-term solutions like expanding rail infrastructure and accelerating projects such as LRT3 but must complete testing phases before opening to the public,” he said.
To promote public transport use, Loke said he would symbolically return to his hometown by taking the ETS from KL Sentral to Seremban.
“I want to encourage more people to use public transportation. I also understand the traffic difficulties because I experience them myself,” he said.
