KTM ETS

ETS  Padang Besar-Gemas Electric Train Service
KTM Class 93 leaving Pulau Sebang/Tampin railway station
Overview
Native name	Perkhidmatan Keretapi Elektrik
Type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Padang Besar - Butterworth - Ipoh - Kuala Lumpur - Gemas - (Opening in 2020) Johor Bahru
Stations	44
Daily ridership	9,740 (2016)
Ridership	3.565 million (2016)[1] ( 73.1%)
Website	ktmb.com.my
Operation
Opened	August 2010 (2010-08)
Owner	KTM
Operator(s)	KTM Intercity Division
Conduction system	With driver
Rolling stock	5 six-car trainset of KTM Class 91 10 six-car trainset of KTM Class 93
Technical
Line length	755 km (Padang Besar-Gemas) 197 km (Gemas-Johor Bahru Sentral) u/c
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Operating speed	140 km/h (87 mph)

KTM ETS route network
to Bangkok Hua Lamphong Hat Yai Junction Khlong Ngae Padang Besar (Thai) Thailand Malaysia international border extension to Hat Yai by 2020 Padang Besar  1  Bukit Ketri  1  Arau  1  Perlis Kedah state border Kodiang  1  Anak Bukit  1  Alor Setar  1  Kobah  1  Gurun  1  Sungai Petani  1  Kedah Penang state border Tasek Gelugor  1  Butterworth  1  Perai River Swing Bridge Bukit Tengah  1  Bukit Mertajam  1   1  Bukit Mertajam junction Simpang Ampat  1  Nibong Tebal  1  Penang Perak state border Parit Buntar  1  Bagan Serai  1  Kamunting  1  Taiping  1  Larut Tunnel Bukit Berapit Tunnel Padang Rengas  1  Kuala Kangsar Sungai Siput Tasek Ipoh Batu Gajah Kampar Tapah Road Sungkai Slim River Behrang Tanjung Malim  2  Perak Selangor state border Kuala Kubu Bharu  2  Batang Kali  2  Rawang  2  Sungai Buloh  2   9  Selangor Wilayah Persekutuan KL state border Kepong Sentral  2  to Batu Caves Kuala Lumpur  1   2   5   9  KL Sentral  1   2   5   6   7   8   9  to Port Klang Bandar Tasik Selatan  1   4   7  Wilayah Persekutuan KL Selangor state border Kajang  1   9  Bangi  1  Selangor Negeri Sembilan state border Nilai  1  Labu  HSR   ECR   1  Seremban  1  Senawang  1  Sungai Gadut  1  Rembau  1  Negeri Sembilan Malacca state border Pulau Sebang/Tampin  1  Batang Melaka Malacca Negeri Sembilan state border to Tumpat Gemas extension to Johor Bahru Sentral by 2020 Negeri Sembilan Johor state border to Johor Bahru Sentral  RTS

Interior of KTM Class 91.

Interior of KTM Class 93.

The KTM ETS, commercially known as ETS which stands for "Electric Train Service", is an inter-city rail service operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad utilizing electric multiple units. The KTM ETS is the second electric train service to be operated by the Malaysian railway company, after the KTM Komuter service.

It is the fastest metre gauge train service in Malaysia that currently operates along the electrified and double-tracked stretch of the West Coast Line between Gemas and Padang Besar on the Malaysia-Thai border by the Malaysian national railway operator, Keretapi Tanah Melayu.

The trains travel up to 140 km/h (87 mph) on electrified metre gauge rail line which can be considered as higher speed rail (HrSR) based on passenger rail terminology instead of high speed rail (HSR). The speed is similar to that of the Kamome Express and Sonic Express in Japan, the Taroko Express and Puyuma Express in Taiwan, and the Tilt Train service in Australia.

However these services use the 1,067mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. In view of this, there is high possibility KTM ETS service is the only one inter-city rail line recorded in the world using 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge at maximum speed of 140 km/h.

The rail service is currently operated by KTM Intercity Division. It was previously operated by ETS Sendirian Berhad, a fully owned subsidiary of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad.

Background

It was introduced by Keretapi Tanah Melayu on 12 August 2010 following the completion of the electrification and double-tracking of the Rawang to Ipoh stretch of the West Coast Line of Peninsular Malaysia. The service was the progressively extended to other sections of the West Coast Line when subsequent electrification and double-tracking works were completed.

Train services

Launched in August 2010, the service originally operated between Ipoh and Seremban but the KL Sentral-Seremban sector was taken out of service in October 2012.^[2]

The service was extended from Ipoh to Padang Besar via Butterworth, the mainland town opposite George Town, with the introduction of the ETS Transit on 10 July 2015, with stops at 24 stations. At the inception of service, only one train service in both directions were introduced. On the following day on 11 July 2015, the ETS Express between KL Sentral and Padang Besar, via Butterworth was introduced, with stops at 15 stations. Again, only one service for both directions were introduced.^[3]

Subsequently, on 1 September 2015, an addition service between KL Sentral and Butterworth was introduced,^[4] and on 10 October 2015, this service was extended southwards from KL Sentral to Gemas, together with the introduction of a new service between Padang Besar and Gemas.^[5] The extension of the KTM ETS service to Gemas utilizes the electrified double-track between Seremban and Gemas which was completed in 2014.

Also on 10 October 2015, a new service was launched between Butterworth and Padang Besar in addition to existing services but this service was subsequently reduced in frequency with the launching of the KTM Komuter Northern Sector.

There have been several revisions of timetables and services since then as more trains became available. The Platinum, Gold and Silver service classes were reintroduced while the terms "ETS Ekspres" and "ETS Transit" are no longer used.

The following train service numbering system has been adopted for the KTM ETS:

• EG920x, EG921x and EG922x for Gold Services departing from or ending at Padang Besar, except for EG9201/EG9202 between Butterworth and Gemas, EG9216 from Seremban to Butterworth, and EG9217 from Butterworth to Ipoh.
• EP921x for Platinum Services departing from or terminating at Padang Besar
• EG923x and EG924x for Gold Services departing from or terminating at Butterworth
• EP923x and EP924x for Platinum Services departing from or terminating at Butterworth
• EG93xx for Gold Services between KL Sentral and Ipoh
• ES94xx for Silver Services between KL Sentral and Ipoh
• EG95xx for services between Ipoh and Padang Besar

KL Sentral - Ipoh

The KL Sentral-Ipoh ETS service was the first to be launched in August 2010 with the completion of the Rawang-Ipoh Electrification and Double-Tracking Project. The service initially included the sector between KL Sentral and Seremban but was discontinued in October 2012.

Trains operating on this section are currently classed as either ETS Gold with service numbers EG93xx, or ETS Silver with service numbers EG94xx. ETS Gold trains take 2 hours and 20 minutes between KL Sentral and Ipoh, stopping at 10 stations (not including starting station), while ETS Silver trains take 2 hours 30 minutes with stops at 14 stations (again, not including starting station).

Currently, there are 5 ETS Gold from KL Sentral to Ipoh and 6 ETS Gold services on the return Ipoh to KL Sentral route. As for the ETS Silver services, there are 2 for the KL Sentral to Ipoh run, and 1 on the return Ipoh to KL Sentral run.^[6]

Prior to October 2012, ETS Gold trains did not stop at Tapah Road and Sungkai, taking 2 hours 15 minutes. As of 2014, the Gold service stopped at the two stations but no longer stopped at the Sungai Buloh railway station, Kuala Kubu Bharu railway station and Behrang railway station. A platinum service was also in operation which travelled non-stop from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh in 1 hour 58 minutes, but was removed with the new timetable rescheduling.

The EG92xx services which run between Butterworth and KL Sentral, and between Padang Besar and Gemas which serve both Ipoh and KL Sentral provide the fastest services between Ipoh and KL Sentral. The fastest are the EG9231/EG9232 and EG9246/EG9247 ETS platinum services which take about 2 hours' journey time between Ipoh and KL Sentral with just one stop at Kuala Lumpur station.

Ipoh - Butterworth - Padang Besar

Butterworth-bound ETS Ekspres train from Padang Besar at Bukit Mertajam station on 6 August 2015.

The service between Ipoh and Padang Besar via Butterworth was the second KTM ETS service to be launched by Keretapi Tanah Melayu. It began operating on 10 July 2015, one day before the service between KL Sentral and Padang Besar.^[7] The service was originally branded as the ETS Transit.

Train on the Ipoh-Butterworth-Padang Besar sector have numbers EG95xx.

At the time of launch, only one ETS Transit was available for each direction between Ipoh and Padang Besar, with service provided by one train set. On 10 October 2015, an additional service between Butterworth and Padang Besar began operating.

When launched on 10 July 2015, the one-way journey took between 4 hours 15 minutes and 4 hours 50 minutes with stops at all 23 stations between Ipoh and Padang Besar, including twice at Bukit Mertajam and Bukit Tengah on the Bukit Mertajam-Butterworth branch line. However, a new schedule on 1 September 2015 saw the Simpang Ampat and Bukit Tengah stations being skipped.

On 1 January 2016, the service between Butterworth and Padang Besar (EG 9501 and EG 9502) were scrapped with the introduction of the KTM Komuter Northern Sector run along this section.^[8] The remaining Ipoh-Padang Besar service (EG 9500 and 9603) were also reduced to running between Mondays and Thursdays.

Gemas - KL Sentral - Ipoh - Butterworth - Padang Besar

The KTM Class 93 ETS train No 203 leaving Pulau Sebang/Tampin heading towards Gemas at 1435 on 1 November 2015.

A KTM ETS Class 91 at Butterworth just before departing for KL Sentral at 1738 on 6 August 2015.

The third phase of the KTM ETS began operating between KL Sentral and Padang Besar when it was launched on 11 July 2015, one day after the Ipoh-Padang Besar service.^[9]

When launched, it was called the ETS Ekspres service, and only one trip a day was put on due to the limited availability of rolling stock. The one-way journey took between 5 hours 15 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes with stopped at 14 stations, including twice at Bukit Mertajam due to the station being on the Bukit Mertajam-Butterworth branch line.

On 1 September 2015, an additional service for each direction between KL Sentral and Butterworth was launched. This service made more stops between KL Sentral and Ipoh, and one additional stop at Kamunting between Ipoh and Butterworth, compared to the earlier KL Sentral-Padang Besar service.^[10]

The fourth phase of expansion for the KTM ETS took place on 10 October 2015 when the service was extended southwards from KL Sentral to Gemas. This saw the KTM ETS service returning to Seremban after being discontinued in 2012.

The Gemas-Padang Besar run skips the Bukit Mertajam-Butterworth branch completely, and proceeds straight from Nibong Tebal to Sungai Petani (and vice versa) via the third side of the triangular Bukit Mertajam Junction, which was constructed as part the Ipoh-Padang Besar Electrification and Double-Tracking Project.

Besides the new Gemas-Padang Besar service, the previous timetable was also revamped and on the same day, the KL Sentral-Butterworth (EG9205/EG9206) service was extended southwards to Gemas and given new service numbers.

ETS trains operating between Gemas and Padang Besar bear train service numbers EG92xx.

Rolling stock

First Generation

Five KTM Class 91 train sets, each comprising six cars, were purchased by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad for $67 million (USD). The train sets were designed by Marubeni Corporation and jointly built by Hyundai Rotem of Korea and Mitsubishi Electric of Japan.^[11] The maximum operational speed of the ETS fleet is 140 km/h but is designed to travel up to 160 km/h.^[12] The total length of each train set is 138 m and weighs 231.8 tons. Each carriage is 22.95 m long, 2.75 m wide and 4 m high.^[13] Each train set has a passenger seating capacity of 350 and includes on-board facilities including toilets, a buffet car, power sockets per two seats and two LED Televisions per car.

Second Generation

Ten KTM Class 93 train sets, are in the process of being commissioned to expand ETS service.

The rolling stock were to have been put into operation for the launch of the ETS Ekspres service between KL Sentral and Padang Besar, and the ETS Transit service between Ipoh and Padang Besar. However, reports of problems during the testing and commissioning of the train sets had resulted in the Malaysian land public transport regulator, SPAD, not approving the trains for use in time for the launch of the two services on 10 July 2015 and 11 July 2015.^[14]

As a result, two KTM Class 91 train sets were used for some time, one for the ETS Ekspres, and the other for the ETS Transit, allowing for just one trip for each direction for both services.

The first four KTM Class 93 sets went into service mainly on the ETS Ekspres route on 10 October 2015

Proposed extension

Gemas to Johor Bahru.

Padang Besar to hatyai

Gallery

• 
  KTM Class 91 at Ipoh.
• 
  Interior of KTM Class 93
• 
  New rolling stock of KTM Class 93 ETS 201.

See also

• Keretapi Tanah Melayu
  • KTM Intercity
    • KTM West Coast Line
    • KTM East Coast Line
  • KTM Komuter
    • Seremban Line
    • Port Klang Line
    • Northern Sector
• Rail transport in Malaysia
• Public transport in Kuala Lumpur

References