KTMB to increase track utilisation to 80% by 2030; increased train service frequency to regain ridership

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has revealed that it plans to increase the utilisation of its 1,655 km rail network that spans 10 states, New Straits Times has reported.

Track utilisation rate by KTMB currently stands at 30%, and the rail operator aims to increase this to 80% by 2030 for increased ridership and cargo volume. It aims to achieve the 80% track utilisation target through the upgrading of infrastructure and the procurement of new train sets, said KTMB CEO Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin.

Completion of projects would also increase rail track utilisation, and this includes the Klang Valley Double Track 1 and 2 (KVDT1 and KVDT2), as well as the Electrified Double Track, Rani said. KVDT1 from Rawang to Salak Selatan and KVDT2 from Seremban to Port Klang will be completed in 2027, and the Electrified Double Track from Gemas to Johor Baru Sentral will be completed this year, KTMB told NST.

“The existing track has been used for 30 years, so we need to change the track, renew the ballast, and improve the signalling system and overhead line,” Rani told the news daily, adding that KTMB also plans to increase the number of train sets.

The rail operator also plans to increase the number of train sets, from the current 26 sets in the Klang Valley and seven for the northern corridor, as well as the 14 sets for the Electric Train Service (ETS), which runs from Gemas to Padang Besar. This will be achieved by leasing new trains and by overhauling trains which are reaching the end of their lifespan, Rani said.

The infrastructure projects and new train sets would boost service frequency and draw commuters back to the service, the CEO of KTMB added. Projects for KVDT1 and KVDT2 saw the frequency of services drop from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, and then to 45 minutes, which impacted ridership, Rani said.

“We used to carry about 130,000 passengers a day, but now we hardly carry about 55,000. So it is more than a 50% decrease,” Rani said. The leasing of train sets for cargo services and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) – which connects to the KTMB Serendah and Temerloh stations – going operational would also increase track utilisation, he added.

The post KTMB to increase track utilisation to 80% by 2030; increased train service frequency to regain ridership appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.