Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has revealed that it plans to extend the utilisation of its 1,655 km rail network that spans 10 states, Latest Straits Times has reported.
Track utilisation rate by KTMB currently stands at 30%, and the rail operator goals to extend this to 80% by 2030 for increased ridership and cargo volume. It goals to attain the 80% track utilisation goal through the upgrading of infrastructure and the procurement of latest 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 a couple of (KVDT1 and KVDT2), in addition to the Electrified Double Track, Rani said. KVDT1 from Rawang to Salak Selatan and KVDT2 from Seremban to Port Klang shall be accomplished in 2027, and the Electrified Double Track from Gemas to Johor Baru Sentral shall be accomplished this yr, KTMB told NST.
“The present track has been used for 30 years, so we want to vary the track, renew the ballast, and improve the signalling system and overhead line,” Rani told the news each day, adding that KTMB also plans to extend the variety of train sets.
The rail operator also plans to extend the variety of train sets, from the present 26 sets within the Klang Valley and 7 for the northern corridor, in addition to the 14 sets for the Electric Train Service (ETS), which runs from Gemas to Padang Besar. This shall be achieved by leasing latest trains and by overhauling trains that are reaching the tip of their lifespan, Rani said.
The infrastructure projects and latest 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 quarter-hour to half-hour, after which to 45 minutes, which impacted ridership, Rani said.
“We used to hold about 130,000 passengers a day, but now we hardly carry about 55,000. So it’s greater 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.
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
