KTMB Update: New Komuter trains to be called “MyKomuter”

TRANSIT took note that KTMB has set up a display at KL Sentral station showcasing the design of the new KTM Komuter train sets, the first of which will arrive on September 25 of this year. The new trains will be branded as “MyKomuter” which is … ok, we won’t comment. Let’s just say that the name is not a surprise (and neither are the 1Malaysia logos on the train).

Now, TRANSIT has already shared some photos of the new Komuter trains – so we will only provide a link to the most recent photos and share a few important ones with you in our post.

Click here for a larger version of the image above.

For one thing, it seems that there may be some confusion over the layout of the seats in the trains. So for the record:

• The 2 “end” carriages do not have front/back facing seats – they only have side-facing seats
• The 4 “inside” carriages have a mix of front/back facing and side-facing seats.

Also worth mentioning about the train are the following details:

Manufacturer: CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co. Ltd.
Designer: Tricon
Top Speed: 140km/h
Cruising Speed: 120km/h
Passenger load: 856 seated & standing (passenger density figures are not given)
KTMB Designation: Class 92
KTMB Brand: MyKomuter
Other features: 2 Ladies Coaches, CCTV, Wheelchair/OKU areas (2 per carriage), LCD info screens, LED destination signage, “dynamic” route map, 3 doors per side per carriage, walk-through gangways and more.

From the article in The Star:

KTMB buys 38 new trains (The Star)
Monday September 19, 2011

KTMB president Dr Aminuddin Adnan, who is aware of the various problems faced by commuters, said they have bought 38 new six-car train sets (SCS) after an allocation of RM1.8bil was pumped in through the National Key Result Area project.

[TRANSIT: He is aware. Well, that is certainly a step up. How about an apology & compensation for the traveling public?]

“The first set of SCS is scheduled to arrive at Port Klang on Sept 25.

“Another five more sets will be delivered between November and December, while the remaining 32 are scheduled to be delivered in stages from January to June 2012,” he told StarMetro during an interview recently.

He said the first batch of SCS would be sent for commissioning and testing by the manufacturer, CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd, and monitored closely by Land Public Transport Commission.

“The tests will include how it responds to our signalling system, functions of braking and door systems as well as realiability of the train,” said Dr Aminuddin, adding that about 95,000 commuters were using the KTM Komuter trains daily.

“To ease congestion, we are using two sets of the Electric Train Services.

“The new trains will enable us to accommodate 150,000 to 200,000 passengers daily,” said Dr Aminuddin, adding that the first batch would only be operational from January 2012 onwards.

KTMB has set up an exhibit on details of the new Komuter at KL Sentral for public display.

[TRANSIT: In case you want to see the display, it is near the KTM Intercity Area on Level 2.]

[TRANSIT: The above picture may be the source of the confusion about the layout. From the angle shown, it does appear that there are no side-facing seats as the front/back facing seats are blocking them out.]
Called My Komuter, the train has a design speed of 140km per hour and an operating speed of 120km per hour.

Newly-added features of My Komuter include LCD info screens, LED destination indicator, two coaches for women, priority seating zone, dynamic route map, intercom and CCTV.

KTMB now has 53 stations with the addition of two new ones in Sungai Gadut and Senawang to take passengers from Batu Caves to Sungai Gadut and Tanjung Malim to Port Klang.

[TRANSIT: More info about planned upgrades to KTM Komuter stations can be found here. Our post on the topic is coming soon.]

KTM Komuter started its services with 64 Electric Multiple Units. On Aug 3, 1995, the first KTM Komuter train began taking passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Rawang. Free trips were offered until Aug 11, 1995.

It began operating commercially between these two destinations and then extended to Salak South on September 1995.

From then on, it gained popularity among commuters, who do not want to be caught in traffic congestion.

It was reported that KTM Komuter contributed RM84.63mil to group revenue in 2006, higher than KTM Intercity’s profit of 70.94mil in the same year.

According to the Transport Ministry’s 2008 statistics, the ridership for the KTM Komuter is about 36.557 million passengers per annum.

However, over the years, its services had deteriorated considerably due to poor maintenance.

Limited spare parts has also resulted in most coaches being left in the depots, thus affecting frequency of service.

Lack of funds and expensive spare parts have also led to the deterioration of service.

TRANSIT Says:

TRANSIT would like to thank TWK90 for sharing his photos of the display at KL Sentral. Now, we would love it if KTMB had actually built a mockup of the train carriage and put that at KL Sentral for the public to interact with the trains before they arrive & go into service. Too bad that our railway operators do not understand the importance of mockups for advanced public consultation & feedback.

Once again, we are sharing the information above so that the public becomes aware of the facilities that are going to be available for them in the future. In addition, sharing the information with the public is a great way to get feedback and encourage questions.

We know that KTMB is facing serious, unresolved management & finance issues (and not to mention labour issues and structural issues) that need to be resolved – but those changes are not going to happen overnight.

More importantly, it helps that the public has not given up on KTMB & KTM Komuter & is still asking questions, focusing on mistakes & demanding improvements.

So as always, we want your feedback and comments about the new KTM Komuter trains.