New trains to begin operations in March 2017 and will increase capacity by 50%
Good news for passengers travelling from KLIA in the near future because Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) will have new trains plying the route from KL Sentral to the main airport. ERL provided a sneak peek of its newest train recently at its depot in Salak Tinggi.
The new train, manufactured by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Company Limited (CRRC Changchun) is the first of six train-sets delivered. When complete, they will increase ERL’s total capacity by fifty percent when they start operating from March 2017.
The unveiling of the train was officiated by the Minister of Transport, YB Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai. Also present were Deputy Minister of Transport, YB Datuk Aziz Kaprawi, Executive Chairman of ERL, Tan Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh and Vice President, High Speed and Main Line of CRRC Changchun, Mr Lou Yanjun.
The new trains are set to compliment the Malaysian transport infrastructure in the near future. When all the current and new rail projects in the country are complete, the travelling public will have easy and fast access to all parts of the city, Greater KL and the airport.
The increased capacity and connectivity with the other rail systems will encourage modal shift from private vehicles, thus reducing congestion and improving public satisfaction and quality of life. The capacity increase also means reducing congestion, especially during peak hours for both KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit services, giving passengers a much more comfortable and enjoyable ride.
The six new trains will see two assigned to KLIA Ekspres and four to KLIA Transit. The six train-sets will increase the frequency of the train operations and enhance service availability as well as cater to the growth in ridership for the next ten years.
The new train-sets are being delivered in phases and will begin operating in March 2017 after undergoing extensive testing and commissioning. Each new train-set has a better redundancy system with two compressors instead of one; more powerful traction; and additional sensors to increase safety standards.
