Introduction
Long time ago, when I was 9 years old, I joined a school trip to Kuala Lumpur. We went there by train. I far as I remembered, it was a very long journey. The train departs at 11pm and we reached KL Sentral 8 hours later! It was very exhausting when we know that we stop on every station (Bukit Mertajam, Simpang Empat, Parit Buntar, Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Sungai Siput, Ipoh, Batu Gajah, Tapah, Tanjung Malim) and a lot of sub-stations in the middle of nowhere. But it was 10 years ago.
Recently I have the opportunity to try the brand new Keretapi Tanah Melayu Electric Train System (ETS). Two weeks before that I tried the old-fashioned KTM "Ekspress Rakyat"(KTM Intercity) from Butterworth to my village near Kampar. Now I have the latest experience on Malaysian railways transportation.
The brand new ETS
The ETS train obviously faster than the Intercity service train. According to a newspaper report, ETS train, which is designed by Mitsubishi and Hyundai, can reach the maximum operational speed of 160km/h. But the standard operation speed is 140km/h. From Ipoh station, you will reach KL sentral station in 2 hours and 30 minutes. The train have too much stations (14 stations all of them), so they cannot maintain the speed of 140km/h throughout the journey. Supposedly the train will reach KL Sentral in 1 hour and 30 minutes.
There was one time that KTM have Platinum service that will stop on three stations :Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and KL Sentral. The platinum service will bring us to the last station with no time. (1hr 45mins). But, starting 1st October the Platinum service was terminated leaving Gold (2 hrs 14mins) and Silver (2 hrs 30 mins) services.
KTM Intercity
Next, we move to the KTM intercity service. The journey from Butterworth to Kampar will take 4 hours. From this data, we can calculate the average speed of the Intercity train. (the 4 hours includes the journey and time when we stop at the station). So, the average speed of the train is 52km/h. From what I have observed, the train still use generator locomotive. The car was made by Hyundai.
This slow and unpopular train still being the number one choice for average citizen and students. Moreover, this train is suitable for the passenger who want to enjoy the scenery of the authentic Malaysia. From Butterworth, we will pass through Bukit Merah scenic lake. We can see that the railway is on the middle of the lake. If we see it from the lake bank, the train is floating on the middle of the lake. Then, we can see various of flora species throughout the journey. The Malaysian village background also a common scene if we ride the train.
The sophisticated one
The fastest train operating in Malaysia is the Express Rail Link that connects Kuala Lumpur and the international airport in Sepang. This train is supplied by Siemens- a company from Germany, can reach the maximum operational speed of 175km/h (The actual operating speed is 160km/h). This is the most advanced train in Malaysia since it is fast, reliable and, the most important, it is equipped with 4G free wifi.
ERL administration had announced that they will build a 2 km extension to the next generation of Low Cost Airport, KLIA
Conclusion
To put it together, Malaysia still have a moderate railway system and a lot of thing need to be improved. The state-of-the-art railway system is concentrated on the big cities such as Kuala Lumpur and a few places in Selangor. LRT, Monorails, KTM Kommuter and ERL. I hope the electrification of North Malaysian Line will finish on the schedule so that the rakyat can use the facility frequently. I admit that Malaysian railway system is far behind from the Japanese system. Their excellent intercity service with the speed of 130km/h are very accurate and punctual. In addition, their Shinkansen train should be a model of our country train technology. The latest Shinkansen train that was introduced in 2009 operates at the speed of 310km/h. The use of centralized train control that manages all train operations and tasks relating to train movement, track, station and schedule should be implimented in our country railway system.
On top of all, I'm proud of the government efforts to transform the Malaysian railway system to the better one but I believe they can do better for the sake of rakyat.
