Keretapi Tanah Melayu

Railway network

The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) gauge railway network in Peninsular Malaysia which is controlled by KTMB consists of two main lines and several branch lines. Most of the lines are made out of ballasted system and locally made concrete sleepers, which had replaced wooden sleepers as early as 1982 for the Kerdau-Jerantut and Sungai Yu-Tumpat lines.

West Coast line

The West Coast Line runs from Padang Besar railway station close to the Malaysia-Thailand Border in Perlis (where it connects with the State Railway of Thailand) to Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore. It is called the West Coast line because it serves the West Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia. The train runs through most of the major stations in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, such as KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth railway station in Butterworth, Penang.

East Coast line

The East Coast Line runs between Gemas railway station, in Negeri Sembilan and Tumpat railway station, in Kelantan. Gemas is the rail junction between the West Coast line and the line itself. Like the West Coast Line, it is called the East Coast Line (Malaysia) because it serves two of Peninsular Malaysia's East Coast states, namely Pahang and Kelantan. In fact, it does not run along the coast at all and only meets the South China Sea when it terminates at Tumpat railway station. It runs through the interior, often through deep jungle, thus earning the nickname Jungle Railway. Currently Terengganu is the only state in Peninsular Malaysia not served by the KTM railway network, though it will be so in the upcoming ECRL project.

Track and electrification

The total length of the network was 1,699 km, however due to the closure and subsequent removal of the section of tracks between Tanjong Pagar railway station and Woodlands Train Checkpoint, the new total length of the network is 1,677 km.

The West Coast main line is double tracked and electrified to 25 kV AC between Padang Besar railway station on the Malaysian-Thai border and Butterworth railway station, and south-wards to the Gemas railway station. The branch lines between Batu Junction and Batu Caves Komuter station, and between Port Klang Junction and the Port Klang Komuter station are also double-tracked and electrified.

The remainder of the West Coast main line from Gemas railway station to Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore, as well as the entire East Coast Line from Gemas railway station to Tumpat railway station, is single track.

Other railways

There are several other railway lines which are not owned by KTMB. This includes Petronas's Kuantan - Kerteh line which is now operated by KTMB and the Sabah State Railway line from Tanjung Aru (near Kota Kinabalu) to Tenom in Sabah. The Penang Hill Furnicular Railway also does not come under KTMB's control.

Network Branches

There are several branch lines running from the two main lines.

Intercity & Freight

Commuter & Freight

Freight only

Depot

Disused

Dismantled

Rolling stock

Following the consolidation of all state railway entities in Malaya, Malayan Railway inherited a fleet of mostly British-made steam locomotives, a variation of locomotives introduced to Malaya since its first railway line went into operation.

Dieselisation in Malaya began immediately after MR's formation with the launch of its first diesel engine, a Class 15 shunter, in 1948. Efforts by MR to fully convert to diesel power between the 1950s and 1970s effectively drove steam locomotives out of service - with whatever left of the fleet massively retired in 1972. KTM drew its diesel rolling stock from a multitude of locomotive companies from England, Japan, Canada, and more recently, India, Germany and China. The company had also ventured in the use of DMUs (railbus, railcars); none of these services survived.

Electric trains were only introduced in 1995 with the launch of the KTM Komuter commuter service. Consisting of three models of 3-car EMUs, the Komuter EMUs, were for a long time the only electric trains in Malaysia. In 2010, introduction of the KTM ETS services from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh brought electric traction to long distance travel. As of present, most of the West Coast Main Line are run by ETS and on some sections, Komuter services except for the Gemas to Johor Bahru section, where double tracking works are still in the process.

Motive power

The following is a list of locomotives in the KTM fleet - some have since been retired:

Locomotive, ETS, Carriage & Wagon Workshop

Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Running Depot

Closed/Disused Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Running Depot

Electrical Train Set Depot

Electrical Multiple Unit Depot

KTM Intercity & ETS

KTM Intercity (Malay: KTM Antarabandar) is an intercity passenger railway service operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu within the regions of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. The service is intended to carry patrons between stops serving cities, town and village (depending on regions). Its trains are currently powered by diesel locomotives.

KTM Intercity services consist of local trains (known also as "mail trains") and express trains; lines along the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia currently support mostly express trains, while those along the East Coast include both mail train and express train services.

The KTM ETS commercially known as ETS which is stand for Electric Train Service is the fastest metre gauge trains service in Malaysia and in worldwide that currently operates as an inter-city rail service between the cities of Gemas and Padang Besar on the Malaysia-Thai border by the Malaysian national railway operator, Keretapi Tanah Melayu.

KTM Komuter

KTM Komuter is an electrified commuter rail service first introduced in 1995, catering especially to commuters in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding suburban areas. KTMB provides 248 commuter services daily, serving 45 stations along 175 route-kilometres. The network consists of two main sectors are Seremban Line and Port Klang Line running at 15 minutes frequency during peak hours and 20 minutes frequency during off-peak hours. The Tanjung Malim shuttle service & Rembau shuttle service running at Seremban Line both end stations operates at half-hour frequency. Komuter coaches are currently the most modern in the KTM fleet and are air-conditioned. Currently, they have a fleet of Class 81, Class 82, Class 83 & Class 92 in which almost all of the Class 92 are operational while many more of the Class 81, Class 82 & Class 83 has been scrapped, leaving only few to operate as a standby unit during rush hour.

KTM Komuter is a heavily utilised mode of transportation by commuters working in Kuala Lumpur as the service is an alternative for road travel, which is occasionally hampered by congestion. Virtually all KTM Komuter stops offer "Park & Ride" parking lots for those who drive to and from the station or halt. KTM Komuter ridership is estimated to be about 50 million passengers in 2010.

KTM Komuter is currently the most profitable passenger service offered by KTMB, contributing MYR 100 million to group revenue in 2010, higher than KTM Intercity's profit of MYR 70.94 million in the same year.

KTM Kargo

KTMB runs 37 freight train services daily of which about 80% were concentrated in the northern sector. In line with the strategy to focus more on containerised and long-haul cargoes, KTMB now carries maritime containers, cement and food as main commodities. In 2006, the freight revenue increased 5.2% to RM113.0 million.

KTM Distribution

Its core business is in the provision of express parcel distribution services to the commercial, industrial and administrative sectors and it operates within Malaysia and Singapore. Parcel distribution is carried out through its door-to-door service or from point to point through its station-to-station service. The company is also licensed by the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission as a courier service provider, which enables it to carry letters and documents up to 2 kg. This service has so far been monopoly of the Postal Department. The company owns an 18,000 sq ft (1,700 m²). freehold property in Sri Damansara, from which it earns warehouse rental income.

Property and advertising

Though considered as non-core businesses, KTMB benefited greatly from Property and Advertising segments in terms of value creation. In 2006, KTMB generated RM22.4 million from property rental and advertising activities.

The property joint ventures were progressing comparatively well under the prevailing economic climate. As regards the Sentul Raya Development, the Maple Condominium was handed over to purchasers in August 2006 while the Saffron Condominium is under construction and expected to be completed in 2007. Meanwhile, KL Sentral Development has embarked on construction of luxury condominiums, new office towers and life-style centre whilst the construction of the Marine View Hotel in Port Dickson is expected to be completed in 2007. To cater for demand from surrounding residential areas, KTMB's partner for the Prai Perdana Development is in the process of constructing a new retail complex and the project is expected to be completed in 2007.

Through KTMB's collaboration with Ganad Media Sdn. Bhd. the advertising revenue had increased by 9.7% to RM1.47 million compared to the previous year. Several new advertising structures have been built in Klang Valley while more on-train advertising media like panels and hand-grips were made available on top of the increased demand for 'wrap-around' advertising on the commuter trains.

Non-rail Subsidiaries

Multimodal Freight Sdn. Bhd., incorporated in 1988, was licensed as a Government approved Container Haulier in 1991, and went on to obtain the Government approved Multimodal Transport Operator (MTO) status in 1999. The company operates a fleet of 225 Prime Movers and 1,300 trailer of both 20-feet and 40-feet configurations. The fleet is deployed at all major seaports and the inland ports of Ipoh and Nilai.

Formerly known as KTMB (Brickfields Yard) Sdn. Bhd. the company was incorporated in 1994 and was renamed KTMB (Car Park) Sdn. Bhd. in 1995. With over 70 employees, the company operates 16 car parks at selected train stations in Malaysia through its subsidiary KTMB Car Park Sdn Bhd. The subsidiary is looking to expand parking space in Seremban and Sungai Buloh stations.

Modernisation

More info ABOUT Railway electrification in Malaysia

Since corporatisation of KTMB, a programme of modernisation has been underway. In 1989, it embarked on the double-tracking and electrification of trunk line between Rawang and Seremban and the branch lines between Batu Junction and Sentul, and between Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang which allowed the KTM Komuter service to start running in 1995. The next major project was the Rawang-Ipoh double tracking and electrification project, which started in 2000, but the project has been repeatedly delayed by contractual disputes and is not expected to be ready before 2007. When complete, KTM expects to introduce frequent intercity service (16 trains/day) running at speeds of up to 160 km/hour. In 2002, the Malaysian government proposed the ambitious project of electrifying and double-tracking the entire western line and awarded contracts in 2003. The project was however put on hold by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi until March 2007 when Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak announced the project's revival. In April 2007, the government announced that contracts for certain portions of the project had been awarded. In 2007, work also started to electrify and double-track the stretch of track between Sentul and Batu Caves.

Developments

The following is a list of previous, current and planned railway development and upgrading works in Malaysia.

Proposed projects

Board of directors