Public welcomes more ETS services as state polls, school break near

STATE POLLS | Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad’s (KTMB) announcement of two additional electric train services (ETS) for the Padang Besar-KL Sentral-Padang Besar route, in conjunction with the state elections on Aug 12 and the upcoming 10-day school holidays, is expected to encourage higher voter turnout and reduce congestion on the highways.

Universiti Sains Malaysia student, Muhammad Syahiran Abdullah, 24, said he intends to take the ETS this Friday to cast his vote in Selangor.

“I am grateful to KTMB for adding these services as it makes my journey more convenient and also for those involved in the state elections this Saturday.

“It is also easy to buy the ETS train tickets online through the KTMB website or KTMB mobile app,” he told Bernama.

The additional services are also a great relief to Syifa Ardani Roslan, 26, an investment company executive, who will return to her hometown in Sungai Petani, Kedah to do her part in the polls.

“This initiative makes it easier for us to go home to vote because train tickets are usually quite limited and sold out quickly during elections and holidays,” she said.

Meanwhile, a private sector employee in the city, Low Si Ling, 24, said she is happy with the extra services because she does not need to drive the long distance to Penang for a holiday.

“I used to drive quite often to Penang for holidays but now I can just relax in the ETS and not get stuck in traffic jams,” she said.

A KTMB spokesperson contacted by Bernama said, as of yesterday, 89 percent of the ETS tickets for Aug 11 to 13 have been snapped up, while 51 percent of the 8,190 tickets for the school holidays have been sold.

Based on the response in the past, KTMB is confident that all the tickets will be sold out.

In a statement earlier, KTMB announced that it would provide two additional ETS services, namely at 11 am for the Padang Besar-KL Sentral route, and at 5.05pm from KL Sentral-Padang Besar for three days from Aug 11 to 13 for the state elections and 10 days from Aug 25 to Sept 3 for the school holidays.

There will be 26 additional services provided for the period, with 34 trips per day compared to 32 trips on a normal day.

- Bernama