KTM will launch a 3 hour Electric Train Service (ETS) linking Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth which will start operations in July 2015. The tentative launch date was set to 9th July but it is still unconfirmed. Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad said the KL to Butterworth ETS trainwould carry some 350 people to Penang from here and have 10 new coach sets running on it by January 2016. Currently there are still trial runs being carried out on the performances of the coach sets on the route that links Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth.
The chairman also said discussions were still being held on whether the service would transport passengers directly from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth or mid-way from Ipoh. He confirmed that the coach sets would be manufactured by China-based train-making company CSR Zhuzhou, which built the Class 92 trains for KTMB’s Komuter line. Three sets will begin their run on the KL-Butterworth route in June 2015. The other seven will be pushed onto the tracks in stages by January 2016.
The Class 92 ETS train that will run the KL-Butterworth service
KL – Butterworth ETS Train Info
- Time: 3 Hours
- Speed: 140-160 kph
- Type: Class 92
- Manufactured: CSR Zhuzhou
This entire massive project is a part of a bigger move to link Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar via the electrified double-tracking project. It was reported that the 329km Ipoh-Padang Besar portion of the track would be handed over to the Transport Ministry by the end of 2015.
