KTM ETS

First phase (August 2010 - July 2015)

The service was introduced by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) on 12 August 2010 between Ipoh and Seremban following the completion of the electrification and double-tracking of the Rawang to Ipoh stretch of the West Coast Line. Its inaugural run was celebrated with an opening ceremony at Kuala Lumpur railway station. Initially, services stretched southwards to Seremban, but the KL Sentral-Seremban sector was taken out of service in October 2012.^[6] At launch, there were three service types—Platinum, Gold, and Silver. On the fastest Platinum service, the trip was covered in two hours, one hour faster than by car. Gold and Silver services had more stops, hence taking up to 2 hours and 30 minutes. The route was served solely by 5 Class 91 electric trains.

Second phase (July-October 2015)

The service was extended from Ipoh to Padang Besar via Butterworth, the mainland town opposite George Town, with the introduction of the ETS Transit on 10 July 2015, with stops at 24 stations. At the inception of service, only one train service in both directions was introduced. This service was named the ETS Transit.

On the following day, 11 July 2015, a new service called the ETS Ekspres between KL Sentral and Padang Besar, via Butterworth was introduced, which only stops at 15 stations. Again, only one service for both directions was introduced.^[7] Subsequently, on 1 September 2015, an additional service between KL Sentral and Butterworth was introduced.^[8] New rolling stock, the Class 93 trains, were introduced in conjunction with the extended service.

Third phase (October 2015 - March 2025)

On 10 October 2015, the ETS service was extended southwards from KL Sentral to Gemas with the introduction of a new service between Padang Besar and Gemas.^[9] The extension of the KTM ETS service to Gemas utilizes the electrified double-track between Seremban and Gemas which was completed in 2014. This extension of service also saw the ETS service returning to Seremban after being discontinued in 2012.

On the same date, 10 October 2015, a new service was launched between Butterworth and Padang Besar in addition to existing services. However, this service was subsequently reduced in frequency and ultimately terminated with the introduction of the new KTM Komuter Northern Sector.^[10]

There were constant revisions of timetables and services as more trains became available, with more train services being added for each of the route segments. The Platinum, Gold, and Silver services were also reintroduced while the terms "ETS Ekspres" and "ETS Transit" were retired.

In 2020, due to traveling restrictions amid efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only two trips per day along the five then operational routes albeit with fewer Gold service trains. Services were restored as the pandemic situation improved.

On 1 August 2024, KTM reintroduced the ETS Express services consisting of three limited-stop daily services between KL Sentral and Ipoh, Butterworth and Padang Besar respectively, replacing former ETS Gold and ETS Platinum services on these routes. The new services reduced travel times to 2 hours between KL Sentral and Ipoh, 3 hours 35 minutes between KL Sentral and Butterworth and 4 hours 50 minutes between KL and Padang Besar.^[11]They were introduced after the completion of Phase 1 of the Klang Valley Double Track and Electrification (KVDT) Project.^[12][13]

Fourth phase (March 2025 - January 2026)

With the staggered completion of the Gemas-JB Electrified Double Tracking Project (EDTP), ETS services were extended southwards in stages throughout 2025 as portions of the line were completed. On 15 March 2025, the ETS was extended beyond Gemas station to the new Segamat station, which was rebuilt as part of the EDTP. On 30 August 2025, the ETS line was extended to Kluang station, with the introduction of a new ETS Platinum service between KL Sentral and Kluang.^[14][15] Between 10 October 2025 until 12 December 2025, KTM operated an additional weekend-only (every Friday, Saturday and Sunday) service between KL Sentral and Kluang, providing 2 return trips for those 3 days.^[16]

On 12 December 2025, the KL Sentral-Kluang route was extended to JB Sentral. This marks the completion of the electrification and double tracking of the main passenger trunk line on the KTM West Coast railway line between Peninsular Malaysia's northern and southern borders.^[17] The existing ETS Gold service from Padang Besar was extended from Segamat to JB Sentral on 1 January 2026, for the first time providing a complete direct north-south electric train service for Peninsular Malaysia.^[18] Since 24 February 2026, ETS Platinum services from Butterworth and Padang Besar to JB Sentral were introduced.

Padang Besar–JB Sentral via Ipoh, KL Sentral and Gemas

⇄ = cross-platform interchange ⇅ = connected interchange

Code	Name	Image	Cumulative distance (km)	Interchanges	Notes
PDR	Padang Besar		0.0	⇄  2	Northern terminus. Connects to Thailand's Southern Line. Linkbridge access to the Padang Besar customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex. Northern terminus of the KTM Komuter Padang Besar-Butterworth Line.
ARU	Arau		29.4	⇄  2	Serves Universiti Teknologi MARA's (UiTM) Arau Campus, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) and Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)
ABT	Anak Bukit		60.0	⇄  2	Connects to Sultan Abdul Halim Airport.
ALS	Alor Setar		68.2	⇄  2
GRN	Gurun		103.1	⇄  2
SPT	Sungai Petani		124.5	⇄  2	Serves UiTM's Merbok Campus
TGL	Tasek Gelugor		142.5	⇄  2
NTB	Nibong Tebal		179.1	⇄  1	Serves Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) Engineering Campus
PBT	Parit Buntar		185.4	⇄  1
BGS	Bagan Serai		195.8	⇄  1
TPG	Taiping		239.4	⇄  1
KKS	Kuala Kangsar		267.6	⇄  1
SGS	Sungai Siput		288.8	⇄  1
IPH	Ipoh		326.1	⇄  1	Southern terminus of the KTM Komuter Butterworth-Ipoh Line.
BTG	Batu Gajah		340.1		Serves as the ETS depot, together with the CRRC rolling stock centre.
KMR	Kampar		363.1		Serves Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman's (UTAR) Kampar Campus.
TPH	Tapah Road		378.6
SUI	Sungkai		402.6
SLR	Slim River		426.8
TJM	Tanjung Malim		445.6	⇄ 2	Northern terminus of the KTM Komuter Tanjung Malim–Port Klang Line. Serves Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI).
BTK	Batang Kali		480.8	⇄ 2
RWG	Rawang		500.6	⇄ 2
SGB	Sungai Buloh		514.9	⇄ 2 ⇅ 12
KPS	Kepong Sentral		520.3	⇄ 2 ⇅ 12
KUL	Kuala Lumpur		532.6	⇄ 12 ⇅ 5 9
KLS	Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral)		533.6	⇄ 1 2 10 ⇅ 5 6 7 8 9	Eastern terminus of the KTM Komuter KL Sentral–Terminal Skypark Line
BTS	Bandar Tasik Selatan		542.8	⇄ 1 ⇅ 4 7	Connects to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) Bus Hub.
KJG	Kajang		559.8	⇄ 1 ⇅ 9
SRB	Seremban		605.9	⇄ 1	Connects to Terminal 1 Shopping Centre Bus Terminal.
PST	Pulau Sebang/Tampin		655.1	⇄ 1	Southern terminus of the KTM Komuter Batu Caves–Pulau Sebang Line.
BML	Batang Melaka		680.6
GMS	Gemas		707.6	⇄	Interchange with East Coast Line towards Tumpat.
SGM	Segamat		733.6	⇄	Connects to Segamat Bus Terminal.
LBS	Labis		763.1
BKK	Bekok		779.0
PLH	Paloh		792.9
KLG	Kluang		816.6	⇄
RGM	Renggam		835.3
LYG	Layang-Layang		848.2
KLI	Kulai		871.5	⇄	Connects to Kulai Bus Terminal and Senai International Airport.
KPB	Kempas Baru		892.4	⇄	Serves Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's (UTM) Skudai Campus.
JBS	Johor Bahru Sentral (JB Sentral)		903.0	⇄ ⇅  RTS	Southern terminus. Future linkbridge access to Bukit Chagar station on the RTS Link to Singapore. Direct access to the Sultan Iskandar Building's customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex.

Butterworth–JB Sentral via Ipoh, KL Sentral and Gemas

⇄ = cross-platform interchange

Code	Name	Image	Cumulative distance (km)	Interchanges	Notes
BTW	Butterworth		(145.1)	⇄  1   2	Penang branch terminus. Connects to Penang Sentral and the Penang Ferry terminal. Future connecting station to LRT Mutiara Line. Western terminus of KTM Komuter Padang Besar-Butterworth Line and Butterworth-Ipoh Line.
BMT	Bukit Mertajam		(155.3)	⇄  1   2
continues southbound via Nibong Tebal

Routes

Odd-numbered train numbers denote southbound trains (trains bound for KL Sentral, Segamat and JB Sentral). Even-numbered train numbers denote northbound trains (trains bound for Padang Besar, Butterworth, Ipoh and KL Sentral).^[19] Northbound and southbound trains are paired as one return trip. Each return trip service is available daily.

The ETS covers the section of the West Coast Main Line between Padang Besar near the Malaysia–Thailand border and JB Sentral near the Malaysia–Singapore border, including the branch line between Bukit Mertajam Junction and Butterworth. Most routes originate from KL Sentral, the main railway station of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.

The ETS operates seven routes, namely:

• KL Sentral - Ipoh
• KL Sentral - Butterworth via Ipoh
• KL Sentral - Padang Besar via Ipoh
• JB Sentral - Padang Besar via Gemas, KL Sentral and Ipoh
• Segamat - Butterworth via Gemas, KL Sentral and Ipoh
• JB Sentral - Butterworth via Gemas, KL Sentral and Ipoh
• JB Sentral - KL Sentral via Gemas

Currently, there are five return trips each on the KL Sentral - Ipoh and KL Sentral - Butterworth routes, four return trips each on the KL Sentral - Padang Besar and KL Sentral - JB Sentral routes, two return trips on the JB Sentral - Padang Besar routes, and one return trip each on the JB Sentral - Butterworth and Segamat - Butterworth routes daily. In addition to these, there are several additional trips on some of the respective routes during school holidays or major religious holidays.

Services

The train services are operated in four categories:

• Express service with fewer limited stops (3 return trips), along with business class coach service
• Platinum service with limited stops (13 return trips), along with business class coach service
• Gold service with selected stops (6 return trips)
• Silver service with stops at all stations (Terminated as of 1 January 2026)

Standard class

The seats on all trains are arranged in a 2+2 configuration, with each seat featuring a tray table and a power outlet. Cluster seats with fixed tables are available on the Class 93 and Class 94 trains. The seats can be easily converted for wheelchair use if necessary. The latest Class 94 trains seats can be rotated to face any direction. Each coach is equipped with LCD TV screens for entertainment, and toilets are available in every coach. The Class 93/2 and Class 94 trains include changing tables for infants. For Muslim passengers, a prayer room is available on every train. There is also a bistro coach that sells drinks, light snacks, and microwaved meals. This class is available on all trains and is the only class available on older trains such as the Class 91 and Class 93/1.

Former routes and services

First generation

Five KTM Class 91 train sets, each comprising six cars, were purchased by KTM for $67 million (USD). The train sets were designed by the Marubeni Corporation and jointly built by Hyundai Rotem of South Korea and Mitsubishi Electric of Japan.^[23] The maximum operational speed of the ETS fleet is 140 km/h (87 mph), but the trains are designed to travel up to 160 km/h (99 mph).^[24] The total length of each train set is 138 meters, and it weighs 231.8 tons. Each carriage is 22.95 meters long, 2.75 meters wide, and 4 meters high.^[25] Each train set has a passenger seating capacity of 350 and includes on-board facilities such as toilets, a buffet car, power sockets for every two seats, and two LED televisions per car.

Second generation

Nineteen sets of KTM Class 93 trains were ordered in two batches to expand the fleet as the electrified network expanded. All 19 trains have been in service since October 2019.

The rolling stock was initially intended to be operational for the launch of the ETS Express service between KL Sentral and Padang Besar and the ETS Transit service between Ipoh and Padang Besar. However, issues during the testing and commissioning phase of the train sets led to the Malaysian land public transport authority, SPAD, not approving the trains for use in time for the launch of the two services on 10 July 2015 and 11 July 2015.^[26] Consequently, two KTM Class 91 train sets were used temporarily—one for the ETS Express and the other for the ETS Transit—allowing for just one trip in each direction for both services.

The first four KTM Class 93 sets went into service on 10 October 2015, and all sets from the first batch have since entered service.

The second batch of KTM Class 93 trains differs slightly from the first, featuring a redesigned livery and a business class coach, a first for ETS services. These coaches, named Class 93/2, started operations with the launch of the new ETS Business Class in October 2019.

Third generation

A batch of 10 Class 94 trains was tendered in May 2020 in light of the completion of the Gemas-JB Sentral Electrified Double Track Project (EDTP).^[27] The tender was awarded to CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, with 8 out of 10 sets being manufactured in Malaysia. The first set was completed on 8 June 2024 and began operations in August 2025 when the ETS was extended to Kluang.

Longest and fastest metre-gauge trains in the world

The ETS trains currently operate at speeds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph) on the electrified metre gauge rail network.^[5] The service is classified as a higher-speed rail (HrSR) limited express rather than true high-speed rail. Comparable services can be found on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge lines in other countries, such as the Kuroshio, Shirasagi, Sonic and Thunderbird services in Japan, the Taroko and Puyuma Express in Taiwan as well as the Electric and Diesel Tilt Train services in Australia.

On metre gauge specifically, the closest comparable rail service is the Renfe service in Cercanías Asturias and Euskotren Trena, most notably on the Bilbao to San Sebastián intercity line in northern Spain. That system provides an inter-state style service similar to the KTM Komuter Northern Sector regional commuter trains. This places the ETS among the fastest 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge services in active operation worldwide.