KTM Komuter for northern states to be ready by Sept?

Tiga SCS

Those living in the northern part of West Malaysia such as Kedah, Penang and Perak may be pleased to know that a KTM Komuter train service for these states has been confirmed to be in construction and will be operational as soon as September, according to The Star.

Chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad reportedly confirmed the hourly Komuter Utara service to the English-language daily after a photo of the route map linking Gurun to Butterworth and Kamunting made the rounds on social media on Sunday. “It hasn’t gotten SPAD (Land Public Transport Commission) approval. If approved, we will start it,” he said.

Quizzed with the question of when the service will go online once KTM gains approval from SPAD, Nawawi simply replied, “September.”

Shared on the Facebook page of railway travel blog RailTravel Station, the image showed 11 stations planned along the upcoming line, including Sungai Petani, Bukit Mertajam and Bagan Serai. The maps were said to have already been found on certain Komuter trains in the Klang Valley.

A new service coming your way?New route maps found on some KTM Komuter 83 Class EMUs running on existing Komuter lines…

Posted by RailTravel Station on Saturday, 22 August 2015

Nawawi added that the actual track from Gurun to Kamunting was already completed and the trains set to run on the line were already available, but the latter were not yet ready to commence service.

Apparently, there were problems with the new CSR Zhuzhou coaches, although he said that “with our older three-coach trains, there are no problems.” Perhaps some of the existing Klang Valley trains will migrate to the new service, judging by the existence on these maps?

The KTM Komuter Utara service is set to be the first commuter rail service in the northern region – these states were previously only served through inter-city trains. For now, it is unclear if the new line will run on the existing double track, or the track of the recently-extended (to Padang Besar) Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh Electric Train Service that replaced the previous diesel locomotives.

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • Black Dog on Aug 25, 2015 at 12:43 pm

    How I wish we can implement the high speed train service from JB (forget about Singapore!) to Padang Besar/Danuk (border to border) as fast as what China is doing now.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Sapu Sapu Malaysia on Aug 25, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    So sad. Just like Sabah and Sarawak, they bring in most money through oil but they are so backward, everything KL sapu.

    Go to northern states and even Sarawak, they are like KL in the 60s. Yet, those kampong folks will be voting BN every year.

    Wahai orang orang kampong, Sarawak is the richest state in Malaysia will berpuluh puluh billions in revenue every year, yet, your state is like World War Two damaged city. Have you ever wondered why?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 11
  • ye laaa. org utara saja dekat malaysia ni perlukan service tersebut. Ke belah utara je rakyat Malaysia?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 6
 

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