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KTM ETS

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Electric Train Service (ETS)
ETS Set 01 and 05 at Ipoh
Overview
Native namePerkhidmatan Keretapi Elektrik
OwnerKTM
LocalePadang Besar - Butterworth - Ipoh - Kuala Lumpur
Stations38
Service
TypeInter-city rail
Operator(s)KTM Intercity Division
Rolling stock5 six-car trainset of KTM Class 91 (in operation)
2 of 10 six-car trainset of KTM Class 93
History
OpenedJune 2010
Technical
Line length279.90 km
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Conduction systemWith driver
Route map
Template:Infobox rdt
Interior of KTM Class 91.

The KTM ETS commercially known as ETS which is stand for Electric Train Service is the fastest metre gauge trains service in Malaysia that currently operates as an inter-city rail service between the cities of Kuala Lumpur and Padang Besar on the Malaysia-Thai border by the Malaysian national railway operator, Keretapi Tanah Melayu.

The trains travel up to 160 km/h (99 mph) on electrified metre gauge rail line which can be considered as higher speed rail based on passenger rail terminology instead of high speed rail. The similar speed range in Japan are Kamome Express and Sonic Express service or in Taiwan are Taroko Express and Puyuma Express & also Tilt Train service in Australia. However those countries operated using narrow gauge rail lines. There is high possibility KTM ETS service is the only one inter-city rail line recorded in the world using metre gauge at maximum speed of 160 km/h.

The rail service currently operated by KTM Intercity Division. The trains formerly 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 on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia with the service being made possible under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans.[1]

Train services

Launched in June 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 Penang, with the introduction of the ETS Transit on 10 July 2015. The service stops at 24 stations. At the inception of service, only one train service in both directions have been introduced with more services in the future when more rolling stock becomes available.

On the following day on 11 July 2015, the ETS Express between KL Sentral and Padang Besar, via Butterworth was introduced. Again, only one service for both directions have been introduced and the service stops at 15 stations.[3]

ETS Gold and Silver (KL Sentral - Ipoh)

Trains operating on the ETS are currently classed as either Gold or Silver Service. Gold Service trains take 2 hours and 20 minutes between KL Sentral and Ipoh, stopping at 11 stations, whilst silver service trains take 2 hours 30 minutes and stop at 14 stations. Prior to October 2012, the Gold service trains did not stop at Tapah Road railway station and Sungkai railway station, taking 2 hours 15 minutes. As of 2014, the Gold service stops at Tapah Road railway station and Sungkai railway station but does not stop at 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.

Railway Station Silver Service Gold Service
KL Sentral Yes Yes
Kuala Lumpur Yes Yes
Kepong Sentral Yes Yes
Sungai Buloh Yes No
Rawang Yes Yes
Kuala Kubu Bharu Yes No
Tanjung Malim Yes Yes
Behrang Yes No
Slim River Yes Yes
Sungkai Yes Yes
Tapah Road Yes Yes
Kampar Yes Yes
Batu Gajah Yes Yes
Ipoh Yes Yes

ETS Ekspres (KL Sentral - Butterworth - Padang Besar)

ETS Ekspres train at Butterworth Station just before departing for KL Sentral at 1738 on 6 August 2015.

On 11 July 2015, KTM launched the ETS Ekspres service between KL Sentral and Padang Besar, on the Malaysia-Thai border.[4] There was only one service for each direction - EG9208 from KL Sentral to Padang Besar, and EG9209 from Padang Besar to KL Sentral, provided by one train set. The one-way journey takes between 5 hours 15 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes with stops at 14 stations, including twice at Bukit Mertajam due to the Bukit Mertajam-Butterworth stretch being a branch line.

On 1 September 2015, KTM began operating an additional ETS train service on each direction between KL Sentral and Butterworth (EG9205 KL Sentral-bound, and EG9206 Butterworth-bound). This service stops at more stations between KL Sentral and Ipoh compared to the ETS Ekspres between KL Sentral and Padang Besar. Between Ipoh and Butterworth, it makes and additional stop at Kamunting.[5]

Train direction[6] KL Sentral - Padang Besar KL Sentral - Butterworth Butterworth - KL Sentral Padang Besar - KL Sentral
Train No EG 9208 EG 9206 EG 9205 EG 9209
KL Sentral 0930 2000 1050 2115
Kuala Lumpur - 2005 1046 -
Kepong Sentral - 2017 1032 -
Rawang - 1843 1011 -
Tanjung Malim 1032 2106 0941 2010
Slim River - 2123 0930 -
Sungkai - 2137 0916 -
Tapah Road 1108 2148 0903 1936
Kampar 1117 2157 0853 1926
Batu Gajah - 2209 0842 -
Ipoh 1139 2221 0831 1907
Kuala Kangsar 1205 2247 0804 1840
Taiping 1224 2306 0749 1825
Kamunting - 2311 0745 -
Parit Buntar 1251 2333 0723 1800
Bukit Mertajam 1305 2347 0710 1747
Butterworth 1328 2355 0700 1738
Bukit Mertajam 1338 - - 1715
Sungai Petani 1357 - - 1656
Alor Setar 1424 - - 1631
Arau 1442 - - 1615
Padang Besar 1500 - - 1600

ETS Transit (Ipoh - Padang Besar)

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

A day before launching the ETS Ekspres service between KL Sentral and Padang Besar, KTM launched the ETS Transit between Ipoh and Padang Besar.[7] Like the ETS Ekspres, only one ETS Transit is currently available for each direction, with service provided by one train set.

The one-way journey takes 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. The ETS Transit also included 10 new stations which were never part of any passenger train service, namely Anak Bukit, Bukit Ketri, Bukit Tengah, Kamunting, Kobah, Kodiang, Padang Rengas, Simpang Ampat, Tasek and Tasek Gelugor.

Train direction Ipoh - Padang Besar Padang Besar - Ipoh
Train No EG 9500 EG 9501
Ipoh 0500 1850
Tasek 0507 1844
Sungai Siput 0518 1833
Kuala Kangsar 0529 1822
Padang Rengas 0536 1815
Taiping 0550 1801
Kamunting 0555 1756
Bagan Serai 0612 1739
Parit Buntar 0619 1732
Nibong Tebal 0623 1728
Simpang Ampat 0630 1721
Bukit Mertajam 0638 1713
Bukit Tengah 0643 1708
Butterworth 0650 arr 1700 dep
Butterworth 0730 dep 1545 arr
Bukit Tengah 0738 1538
Bukit Mertajam 0742 1534
Tasek Gelugor 0753 1523
Sungai Petani 0802 1514
Gurun 0813 1503
Kobah 0822 1454
Alor Setar 0835 1441
Anak Bukit 0840 1436
Kodiang 0852 1424
Arau 0857 1419
Bukit Ketri 0903 1413
Padang Besar 0915 1400

Rolling stock

Class No. Built Cars per Set In service Manufacturer
KTM Class 91 5 6 5 Hyundai Rotem
KTM Class 93 10 6 2 CSR Zhuzhou

First Generation

Main article: KTM Class 91

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.[8] The maximum operational speed of the ETS fleet is 140 km/h but is designed to travel up to 160 km/h.[9] 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.[10] 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

Main article: KTM Class 93

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.[11]

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

Future

The service will be expanded from Kuala Kangsar to Butterworth on 1 April 2015.

On Dec 2 2014, a subsidiary of China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co, considered the world's largest manufacturer of electric locomotives, CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., announced that they had won an order to supply higher-speed trains for the 200-kilometer rail line between the capital Kuala Lumpur and the city of Ipoh. Zhou Qinghe, president of CSR ZELC said that the metre gauge electric units would run at a set speed of around 160 km per hour. The trains would also be used on a 900-km railway line being planned between Johor Bahru on the southern tip of the country, and Padang Besar on the Thailand border, according to the train manufacturer. Zhou said after the first batch of 10 trains produced in China were delivered, trains of the same type will then be manufactured at a new manufacturing base being built in Malaysia. The company announced in April it was spending $131 million on the building of a manufacturing and maintenance base to serve the needs of the country, as well as the whole ASEAN region. It has signed five contracts to supply 98 trains and carriages, the first phase of which will be completed by the end of this year.[12]

On Dec 6 2014, Keretapi Tanah Melayu chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad said that a three-hour Electric Train Service (ETS) linking capital Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth, Penang would be operational in June 2015. He said that the new ride would carry some 350 people to Penang from Kuala Lumpur and have 10 new coach sets running on it by January 2016. In an interview, he said that “(This is part of the) operation linking Padang Besar to KL. But first, in June 2015, it will be between Butterworth and KL,”[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Malaysia plans five years of rail growth". Railway Gazette International. London. 1 October 2006.
  2. ^ "Recent scheduling ETS Services". KTM Intercity. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  3. ^ Padang-Besar-electric-train-starts-run-today-Twice daily-service-timely-for-Raya-travel/ "KL-Padang Besar electric train starts run today". The Star. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Media Release" (PDF). KTM. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Restructuring of the timetable for Intercity and ETS trains beginning 1 September 2015 (in Malay)" (PDF). Keretapi Tanah Melayu. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. ^ Based on timetables in www.ktmb.com.my
  7. ^ "Media Release" (PDF). KTM. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Marubeni Gets $67 Million Malaysia Train-Car Order, Nikkei Says". Bloomberg. Bloomberg. 26 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Electric trains to reduce travel time". The Star. Central. 24 August 2010.
  10. ^ "Electric Train Set". Malaya Railway.
  11. ^ Meng Yew Choong (19 July 2015). "Manufacturer working hard to solve issues with new ETS sets before official handover". The Star. Retrieved 20 July 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "asiaone business". Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  13. ^ "The Star". Retrieved 8 December 2014.
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