KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) is providing a total of 251,752 seats through its Electric Train Service (ETS) and KTM Intercity services in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, the largest capacity in the company’s operating history.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the increase is driven by the additional 228 extra train trips from March 17 to 29, a 113 per cent increase compared to the 118,440 seats provided last year.

“The increase in ETS services this year is also supported by the delivery of 10 ETS3 train sets, along with existing ETS sets, enabling KTMB to optimise service capacity to facilitate people returning to their hometowns,” he said after meeting passengers and distributing 500 Hari Raya gift packs to KTMB passengers at KL Sentral today.

Of the additional trips, 196 involve ETS services, while 32 are for EMU Plus services, with frequency increased to 64 trips daily and near 24-hour operations during the peak period.

“As a comparison, we added up to 196 additional ETS trips this year compared to only 56 last year, an increase of nearly 250 per cent. We aim to optimise existing assets so more people can use public transport to return home comfortably and safely,” he said.

Loke shared that as of 9 am today, scheduled ETS tickets recorded sales of 177,796 (99 per cent), while 34,964 additional ETS tickets and 5,912 EMU Plus tickets are still available.

For the Ekspres Rakyat Timuran (ERT) service on the JB Sentral-Tumpat route, KTMB has added four extra coaches, increasing capacity to 13,910 seats, with 95 per cent already sold.

“We are also providing the Ekspres Lambaian Aidilfitri (ELA) service for the East Coast and Northern editions as an additional initiative to meet public demand,” he added. — Bernama

 Malay Mail – Malaysia