Loke: No ETS For East Coast

The government has no immediate plans to extend the Electric Train Service (ETS) to Malaysia’s east coast, Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed.

He explained that the railway infrastructure in the east coast is not suitable for electrified train operations. The tracks are single-lane and not electrified, which limits the type of trains that can be used.

“For now, only Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) operate in that region due to infrastructure constraints,” said Loke. “But once the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is ready, it will cater to that corridor.”

Loke made the remarks during a press event for the launch of Prasarana’s new fleet of diesel buses. The event was also attended by key public transport officials including APAD Director-General Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri, Prasarana CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah, and Rapid Bus Chairman Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali.

For now, ETS operations will remain focused on the west coast route from Padang Besar in the north to Johor Bahru in the south.

To support this, the Ministry of Transport previously announced the procurement of 10 new ETS train sets. Two of these have already been delivered to Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) under a RM400 million investment aimed at meeting growing demand.

KTMB has reported that ETS ridership increases by around 10% annually, reflecting strong user satisfaction. With the Gemas to Johor Bahru electrification project nearing completion, the company is preparing to expand ETS services to new destinations.

Loke also noted that while KTMB has yet to achieve full commercial viability, profitability is not its main priority.

“As a government-linked company, KTMB has a responsibility to deliver public service, not just focus on financial returns,” he said. “Our priority is to improve service quality, especially for commuter, ETS, and cargo operations.”

Source: BERNAMA