There are currently no plans for the Electric Train Service (ETS) to be extended to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Bernama has reported.
This is because the east coast railway lines are single-track, and lack the electrification infrastructure necessary for ETS operations, said transport minister Anthony Loke.
“The east coast is currently served only by diesel multiple units (DMU) because the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) tracks there are single-track and not electrified. But the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project will serve that region,” Loke said.
The rail service received the first units of the third-generation (ETS3) trainsets in April this year, and these will serve the southern sector of the West Coast Line, which is expected to be fully electrified and double-tracked all the way to JB Sentral by the end of this year.
Currently, ETS services will continue to be focused on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, operating between Padang Besar, Perlis and Johor Baru, Johor, the transport minister added.
Meanwhile, Loke said of KTMB that improvements are needed especially in the commuter, ETS and freight services, which have yet to achieve full profitability, according to the report. However, profitability is not KTMB’s main focus as a government-linked company, which has a social responsibility to provide the best service to the public, the transport minister said.
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Redundant railing is not a smart financial move. As mentioned, ECRL will serve the area.
Although in all honesty, it wouldn’t be redundant, as even current ETS gets packed especially during festival seasons. And we have a lot of festivals. But that can be solved with additional train cars.
The main reason is presently ETS runs on archaic narrow meter gauge KTMB rail tracks meanwhile ECRL railway track adhere to the newer wider standard gauge.
Lack of forward planning as well as myopic view of logistics. Blaming current infrastructure for future development. Mr Anthony Loke should resign as Work Minister as he has failed to carry out his job and duty.
East Coast is a low yield seasonal route which is not worth the infra investment. Better to update airports and have airlines ply those routes. Rail infrastructure is all about ridership on a daily basis otherwise it’s a massive white elephant.