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The KTM ETS, commercially known as ETS ( Electric Train Service), is an inter-city rail higher-speed rail service in Malaysia. It is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). ETS followed KTM Komuter to be the second electric train service to be operated by KTM. ETS is Malaysia's second inter-city rail service after KTM Intercity.
The 2010 launched ETS is Malaysia's fastest metre-gauge train service. It operates on the historical KTM West Coast Line in western Peninsular Malaysia. That line has since been electrified and double-tracked. Its maximum speed is among the world's fastest metre-gauge train services. The line runs south from near the Thailand border, to in Johor. A southern extension from to near the Singapore border, is planned to enter service in December 2025. That extension will complete rail electrification between Malaysia's northern and southern borders.
The rail service is currently operated by the KTM Intercity Division. It was previously operated by ETS Sendirian Berhad, a fully owned subsidiary of Keretapi Tanah Melayu.
| + !Train number !Route !Service !Stops !Train trips !Class | |||||
| EG9022, EG9025, EG9027, EG9028, EG9032, EG9035, | – | 12 | 3 | 91 & 93/1 | |
| ES9051, ES9052 | 14 | 1 | |||
| EX9004, EX9009 | 4 | 1 | |||
| EP9272, EP9273, EP9274, EP9275, EP9278, EP9279 | – | 15 | 3 | 93/2 | |
| EX9206, EX9207 | 9 | 1 | |||
| EP9171, EP9172, EP9173, EP9176, EP9177, EP9178, EP9179, EP9180 | – | 12 | 4 | ||
| EX9104, EX9107 | 6 | 1 | |||
| EG9420, EG9425 | – | 29 | 1 | 93/1 | |
| EG9321, EG9322 | – | 24 | 1 |
The ETS operates five routes, namely:
Currently, there are five return trips on the - route, five return trips on the - route, four return trips on the - route, and one return trip each on the - and - routes daily. As of 2020, due to traveling restrictions and efforts to curb the pandemic, there were only two trips per day along the five routes that are currently under operation. As of 2022, all services have resumed with fewer Gold service trains.
On 1 August 2024, KTM introduced ETS Express services, three new limited-stop, express train services on the KL Sentral - Ipoh, KL Sentral - Butterworth, and KL Sentral - Padang Besar routes, replacing former ETS Gold services on these routes. These new services offer faster travel, with trains only stopping at major stations along the West Coast Line. These new services came after the completion of Phase 1 of the Klang Valley Double Track and Electrification (KDVT) Project.
On 15 March 2025, the ETS service was extended beyond station to the new station, which was rebuilt as part of the almost-complete Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrification and Double-Tracking project.
| Code | Name | Image | Cumulative distance (km) | Interchanges | Notes |
| Northern terminus. Connects to Thailand's Southern Line. Linkbridge access to the Padang Besar Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex.
Northern terminus of the KTM Komuter Northern Sector's Padang Besar-Butterworth Line. | |||||
| Royal Station | Serves passengers who are mainly students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (Arau Campus), Universiti Malaysia Perlis and Universiti Utara Malaysia | ||||
| Serves Universiti Teknologi MARA (Merbok Campus) | |||||
| Tasek Gelugor | |||||
| Serves Universiti Sains Malaysia (Engineering Campus) | |||||
| Southern terminus of the KTM Komuter Northern Sector's Butterworth-Ipoh Line. | |||||
| Served as the ETS depot, together with the CRRC rolling stock centre. | |||||
| Serves Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Kampar campus. | |||||
| Northern terminus of the KTM Komuter .
Serves Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI). | |||||
| KL Sentral | Connecting station, without paid-area integration, to:
| ||||
| Bandar Tasik Selatan | Connects to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) Bus Hub. | ||||
| Proposed connecting station to Putrajaya Monorail. | |||||
| Southern terminus of the KTM Komuter . | |||||
| Interchange with East Coast line towards . | |||||
| Southern terminus. Railway services continue to via KTM Intercity. | |||||
| (Southern extension to Johor Bahru Sentral opening 2025) | |||||
| Code | Name | Image | Cumulative distance (km) | Interchanges | Notes |
| Penang branch terminus. Connects to Penang Sentral and the Penang Ferry terminal. Proposed connecting station to Mutiara line. | |||||
| continues southbound via | |||||
| 2024 | 4,134,719 | N/A | |
| 2023 | 4,115,242 | N/A | |
| 2022 | 3,338,531 | N/A | |
| 2021 | 634,334 | N/A | Travel restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic, services reduced |
| 2020 | 951,100 | N/A | Travel restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic, services reduced |
| 2019 | 3,902,000 | N/A | |
| 2018 | 3,932,000 | N/A | |
| 2017 | 4,148,000 | 174,433,140 | Highest on record |
| 2016 | 3,565,000 | 145,521,561 | |
| 2015 | 2,059,000 | 60,314,988 | |
| 2014 | 1,693,000 | 44,328,039 | |
| 2013 | 1,563,000 | 40,621,860 | |
| 2012 | 1,180,000 | 31,885,949 | |
| 2011 | 913,000 | 24,313,451 | |
| 2010 | 215,000 | 5,569,532 | Operations began in August |
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. Subsequently, on 1 September 2015, an additional service between KL Sentral and was introduced. New rolling stock, the Class 93 trains, were introduced in conjunction with the extended service.
On the same date, 10 October 2015, a new service was launched between and 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.
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 no longer used.
| KTM Class 91 | 6 | 4 | - | Hyundai Rotem | |
| KTM Class 93 | 6 | 19 | - | CSR Zhuzhou | |
| KTM Class 94 | 6 | 0 | 10 | CRRC Zhuzhou |
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. 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.
Similar services operate on narrow gauge railways in other parts of the world: the Kuroshio, Shirasagi, Sonic, and Thunderbird limited express services in Japan, the Taroko Express and Puyuma Express in Taiwan, and the Electric and Diesel Tilt Train services in Australia.
The only similar metre gauge rail service currently operating is the Renfe Feve on Cercanías Asturias and Euskotren Trena, specifically the Bilbao-Donostia inter-city rail line in northern Spain. This type of inter-state train service is quite similar to the KTM Komuter Northern Sector regional commuter services.
Thus, the ETS stands as one of the fastest metre gauge train services in the world, reaching a maximum speed of .
In May 2009, Global Rail Sdn Bhd, a relatively small contractor, and its Chinese partner, China Infraglobe, submitted a proposal to the Government to build and upgrade tracks from Gemas to Johor Bahru at a cost of MYR 5 billion. The project was proposed on a private finance initiative basis, and the plan submitted to the Ministry of Finance in June 2009 was conditional upon signing over mineral rights in the state of Johor.
On 29 January 2011, then Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha stated that the Gemas - Johor Bahru double-tracking and electrification project was expected to start that year. He added that the Government hoped to appoint the contractor for the project within the year and that Malaysia was still in discussions with China Railway Construction, though nothing was confirmed. Kong noted that two consultants, a design consultant and an independent checker, had been appointed to monitor the project. The construction of of tracks, estimated to cost between MYR 6 billion and MYR 7 billion, was projected to take three years.
On 27 October 2015, the public display exercise, required for all new railway developments under Section 84 of Malaysia's Land Public Transport Act 2010, for the Gemas - Johor Bahru Electrification and Double Tracking Project began and ran until 27 January 2016. The Chinese company CRCC was awarded the contract to carry out the project. Construction began in January 2018. The project was expected to be completed by mid-2023, but on 23 March 2023, it was announced that the extension would be delayed until mid-2025.
The length of the line to be electrified and double-tracked is between Chainage 563.040 at Gemas and Chainage 754.180 at JB Sentral. The project includes the construction of 11 stations at , , , , , , , , , , and , with three future stations planned at , , and Senai. The upgraded line is expected to accommodate at least 22 daily services involving ETS, KTM Intercity, shuttle train services, and KTM Komuter.
The documents displayed also stated that the electrification for this stretch would have the same specifications as the Seremban-Gemas stretch, with 25 kV AC 50 Hz single-phase supplied via an overhead catenary system. Train operations for this stretch will be integrated with the Train Control Centers at KL Sentral and Gemas. The designed maximum speed for the tracks is .
On 25 February 2025, the EDTP was announced as 99% completed. It was also announced that at that time the EDTP was expected be completed by (Easter Monday) 21 April 2025. That was expected to be enhanced by the southern sector ETS service starting after 12 August 2025 when all ETS3 trainsets were scheduled to be delivered to Malaysia.
On 15 March 2025, ETS services was extended to Segamat station, making it the first station in Johor to be served by ETS. Two existing ETS Gold routes, namely the Padang Besar-Gemas route and Butterworth-Gemas route were extended to Segamat, with Segamat station becoming the new terminal station in the south instead of Gemas. Ticket sale for the newly extended ETS services began on 12 March 2025 at 10:00AM.
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