KTMB Aims For 80% Track Utilisation, New Trains By 2030

According to the New Straits Times, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has formally announced its strategic plan to increase the operational capacity of its vast 1,655-kilometer rail network, which crosses 10 states.

KTMB's CEO, Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin, explained that the company's strategy to achieve 80% track usage by 2030 includes upgrading its infrastructure and acquiring new rolling stock. The main rail operator's current track utilisation is 30%, and it hopes to increase this figure to 80% to allow for more passenger and freight traffic.

The completion of projects such as the Electrified Double Track and the KVDT1 and KVDT2 will result in greater use of rail tracks. The Electrified Double Track will be finished this year, while KVDT1 and KVDT2 will be finished in 2027, the CEO says in a NST report.


“The existing track has been used for 30 years, so we need to change the track, renew the ballast, and improve the signalling system and overhead line,” he added.

In addition, Rani stated that KTMB plans to increase the number of train sets operating between Gemas and Padang Besar, in the Klang Valley, and for the northern corridor by refurbishing old trains and leasing new ones. The current number of train sets for ETS, Klang Valley, and the northern corridor are 14, 26, and 7, respectively.

The new train sets and infrastructure improvements will increase service frequency and attract commuters, according to the KTMB CEO. He also explained that the frequency of services for KVDT1 and KVDT2 projects had decreased from 15 minutes to 30 and then to 45 minutes, which negatively impacted ridership.