KUALA LUMPUR: Some 100,304 tickets have been sold across the Electric Train Services (ETS) and EMUPlus network for the upcoming Deepavali celebrations, says Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) chief executive officer Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri.
He said this was equivalent to 108% of the 96,752 seats offered for the travel period between Nov 5 and Nov 10.
“We prepared about 70% more seat availability and trains compared to Deepavali last year and the sales reflect an encouraging demand, with a 70% increase when compared to the celebration last year.
"We will ensure there are more seats available each and every year," he told reporters after handing out 600 Deepavali goodie bags together with deputy National Unity Minister R. Yuneswaran at KL Sentral here on Monday (Nov 2).
He added that tickets for the ETS are almost completely sold out with tickets for the EMUPlus at about 65% sold.
However, he said there is still room for dedicated seat availability, adding that KTMB will soon publish destinations where seats are still available for the Deepavali period.
Previously, KTMB said an additional 11,888 seats were offered on its train services for the upcoming Deepavali celebrations on Nov 8.
KTMB said it would operate two additional ETS trips daily on the Padang Besar-KL Sentral-Padang Besar route from Nov 5 to 9, as well as four additional daily trips on the JB Sentral-KL Sentral-JB Sentral route from Nov 6 to 9.
"Meanwhile, KTMB is offering 5,056 extra seats on four daily ETS trips between JB Sentral and KL Sentral in both directions from Nov 6 to 9. Tickets for the route have been on sale since Sept 7," it said in a statement.
Besides ETS services, KTMB will provide 3,672 seats on EMUPlus trains serving the Bandar Tasek Selatan-Ipoh-Klang route in both directions on selected dates between Nov 5 and 9.
KTMB also advised passengers to plan their journeys and buy tickets early to take advantage of more economical flexible fares and avoid last-minute bookings.
