SEPANG, 13 March 2018:
Since the fare hike in 2016, the ridership on services provided by Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) had reduced by 19%, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai today.
Even so, Liow said ERL is targeting a growth in ridership of 5% this year, from 23,900 daily ridership last year. The ERL’s capacity will also increase by 50% with six trains newly launched today,
He said the purchase of the new trains from China-based Changchun Railway Vehicles Co Ltd would add to its existing fleet of 12 trains, bringing the total number to 18.
He said two sets of the new trains would be servicing the KLIA Ekspres and another four, the KLIA Transit.
“The additional services on KLIA Transit will improve the waiting time to every 15 minutes from the current 20-minute intervals during morning and evening peak hours on weekdays.
“While during off peak hours, train departures will be improved from 30 to 20 minutes, putting it on par with the KLIA Ekspres service.”
The KLIA Ekspres performs non-stop train service between the airport (KLIA & klia2) and KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur city.
Liow said the additional new trains offered a better value proposition – which is important to attract more people to use public transportation.
“It also complements the government‘s commitment to improving land public transport infrastructure, quality of service and first-and-last mile connectivity.”
The latest train livery blends traditional songket motifs of Pucuk Rebung, Tapak Sulaiman and Bunga Pecah Lapan. They will begin operating from tomorrow.
The new KLIA Ekspres train is fitted with 192 seats on board while the KLIA Transit train can accommodate up to 350 passengers, including 144 seated passengers.
– Bernama