Tag: ETS

New ETS Service to Butterworth and Padang Besar

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will commence its Electric Train Service (ETS) from Ipoh to Padang Besar, extending the existing service which currently plies from KL Sentral to Ipoh.

There will be two services to be introduced, with two directions each:

  1. Ipoh – Butterworth
  2. Butterworth – Ipoh
  3. Butterworth – Padang Besar
  4. Padang Besar – Butterworth

There is only a limited schedule available and no news yet about addition of more service.

Timetables will be posted soon.

Some sources said KTMB will use Class 91 trains, currently being used for ETS between KL Sentral and Ipoh.

The newer rolling stock is not announced yet by KTMB. They are manufactured by CSR ZhuZhou from China and able to reach speeds up to 160 km/h. In comparison, KTMB Class 91 ETS trainset can only reach 140 km/h.

Update: Click here for ETS Schedule for KL Sentral <-> Padang Besar Route

ETS to Padang Besar: Waiting for SPAD Approval

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) is just waiting for confirmation from Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) regarding the new intercity train service linking Ipoh to Padang Besar. The new service, also dubbed as Electric Train Service (ETS), will enable travelers to experience speed of up to 140 km/h during travel between Ipoh and Padang Besar.

The new ETS service will stop and prominent stations such as Butterworth, Alor Setar, Arau and Padang Besar. The fast journey is made possible by the recent completion of electrified double tracking (EDTP) project, which upgraded the rail infrastructure between Ipoh to Padang Besar from single rail to double rail. The upgrade enables fast train travel on both northbound and southbound direction, reducing delays greatly.

As of press time, KTMB has yet to release any pricing information regarding the ETS service.

We will update this site as soon as we get more information about the service.

Update: Click here for ETS Schedule for KL Sentral <-> Padang Besar Route

Source: Astro Awani

ETS Service from Ipoh to Padang Besar

KUALA LUMPUR APRIL 20th 2015: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will start operation in July 2015.

As press time, there is no information yet on fare and schedule. Since Kuala Lumpur – Ipoh route is fairly expensive in comparison with regular KTM Intercity service, the new ETS Ipoh – Padang Besar route is expected to charge similarly hefty price for a ticket.

The first ETS service from Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh commenced operation in August 12th 2010.

Update: Click here for ETS Schedule for KL Sentral <-> Padang Besar Route

Source: BH Online

 

[KTMB Announcement] e-Ticket System Interruption

This announcement is taken from KTMB Official website:

Dear our valued customer,

We are sorry to inform that e-ticketing system is currently experiencing some difficulties for payment via Maybank2u.Technical expertise are in the midst of restoring the service.

For further information or ticket reservation, please contact;

1. Email : [email protected].

2. Telephone : 1-300-88-5862 ( 7.00 am – 10.00 pm)

We apologize on the inconvenience caused and thanking you for understanding and patience.

Customer Relation Unit, KTM Intercity

 

Source: KTMB Website

New KTM ETS Schedule, effective October 1st 2013

KTM ETS
KTM ETS Logo

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has released a set of new schedules for ETS, effective October 1st 2013. The move is necessary in order to ensure KTMB can provide better service to the customers. The frequency of ETS trains are changed to fit the user’s needs better. you can read more froma news article by Bernama here.

With the completion of electrified double track railways, we do hope that the government will assist KTMB further in rolling stock procurement because we don’t see the point of having state-of-the-art railway system without making use to its full potential.

October 12th 2013 Update: We have updated our ETS Schedule.

About ETS: KTM ETS (Electric Train Service) is a relatively new train service from KTMB. The first commercial run was done on August 12th 2010, after several times of postponement. For the time being, ETS plies the route between Ipoh and Seremban.

ETS Tickets can be Purchased at Several Additional Locations

KTM ETS
KTM ETS Logo

An announcement was made by KTM Berhad Customer Relations Unit (Unit Perhubungan Pelanggan) about ETS ticket purchase options.

Now, users can purchase ETS tickets from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the following four railway stations (in addition to KL Sentral):

  • Subang Jaya
  • Shah Alam
  • Klang
  • Pelabuhan Klang

Click here for ETS Fares

Click here for ETS Schedules

source: KTMB official website

KTM ETS Food Service Quality

KTM ETS
KTM ETS Logo

Recently, I came across an article in The Star complaining about food service quality onboard ETS train. According to the author, one of the crew members responded rudely when he was asked about the food. Apart from rudeness, complaints can also be seen about unavailability of staff to take care of the orders placed at Food and Beverage counter in ETS’ Food & Beverage coach.

As a service provider with dedicated coach for food and beverage service, KTM Berhad should look into this problem seriously. While there are currently many KTMB staff who can behave appropriately and responded timely with customers’ complaints, there are also some of the ‘rotten eggs’ who smear the overall image of KTM Berhad.

The article mentioned above is about six months old (as of June 2013) but we are hoping that KTM Berhad has conducted a thorough investigation about this problem and rectified it in whichever way necessary. This is important to ensure customer satisfaction is taken up to a higher level.

ETS service is a prime choice of commuters traveling between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. If the service quality (in terms of staff and on-time performance) can be improved, quite a number of people would not mind paying extra compared to public bus as long as they can have a comfortable ride between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur.

We are hoping that KTM Berhad will continue to look into ways to improve ETS service because it has clear advantage over bus service, which is the ability to circumvent through traffic jams (they use railroads!)

Update on July 27th 2013: Dead link