On this day in 2010, @ktm_berhad began a rapid intercity electric train service between KL Sentral & Ipoh. It was and remains Malaysia's only long distance intercity electric rail service, serving thousands daily between Gemas and Padang Besar.

This is the #ETS story.

In the mid 90s, following the outstanding success of the double tracking and electrification of the KTM Klang Valley rail network, KTMB trained its sights to the North to expand its electric train service, this time for intercity services.

As double tracking and electrification projects for the KTMB network are huge megaprojects of the government, they are proposed under the Five-Year Malaysian plans, and given the finite budget, are carried out in a piecemeal fashion.

For the first stage of expansion, KTMB proposed the network to go North first - to Ipoh. It was mooted as early as 1996, and in the year 2000 the backhoes began clearing land along the route to Ipoh, for what became known later as the RIDT (Rawang Ipoh Double Track)

The project suffered delays, and following protracted issues, was finally completed and energised in 2008.

A Class 83 EMU ran from KL to Ipoh on a trial, reaching 130kmph.

Interestingly, the trains for the new upgraded route was proposed to be of the tilting type, similar to the pendolinos currently running in the UK. It was ultimately dropped in favour of a realigned route.

When the RIDT project was completed in 2008, the new trains associated with the new route had not yet arrived.

KTMB decided to run locomotive-hauled trains, made up of a diesel locomotive, passenger coaches and a PGC (generator) car.

Running five times a day in each direction between KL Sentral and Ipoh, these became known as the KL - Ipoh shuttle, and proved to be highly popular. The usual consist was a locomotive + 1 AEC (Economy) coach + 3 ASC (Second Class) coaches + PGC (Power Generating Car)

With stops at KL (Old), Tg. Malim, Slim River, Sungkai, Tapah, and Kampar on its run between Ipoh and KL Sentral, the journey took three hours. Which is not much compared to the previous single line journey (3.5 hours), but short enough that it became a hit with passengers

Buses doing the same journey via the North-South Highway would take 2.5 hours.

Nonetheless, the shuttle became so popular that the original payload consist of four (4) coaches were regularly extended to as long as seven (7) coaches. And still the tickets sold out.

In early 2010, the first of the five six-car electric train (EMUs) for the RIDT route arrived from South Korea. They were built by Hyundai Rotem, and were designated Class 91 EMUs.

A new business unit was established to manage the service to be run using these new EMUs, and it was called the Electric Train Service (ETS), separate from loco-hauled intercity services which were run by an existing business unit called Intercity.

The project to procure the train was nicknamed also ETS, short for Electric Train Set. The name stuck and in a few years would become a household name. The ETS business unit had since been amalgamated into Intercity. For a while, the ETS and Intercity shuttles were ran together

Originally, there were supposed to be six (6) Class 91 EMUs, but pricing dispute at the negotiation table (between @MOTMalaysia and Melco-Cantum Sempurna consortium [CSK], the contractor for the trainsets) saw the number reduced to five.

(Interesting sidenote: Hyundai Rotem styled the KTM ETS Class 91 EMU after the design of its supply of @IrishRail Class 22000 DMUs - the resemblance can be clearly seen)

The five EMUs, numbered ETS 01 - ETS 05 (later ETS 101 - ETS 105) ran tirelessly between Ipoh and KL Sentral, bringing commuters from Ipoh as early as 0430 in the morning. The journey with the ETS took 2 hours 20 minutes, a marked reduction from the time achieved with the Shuttle

The ETS services itself was split into three distinct types that remain to this day: Platinum (Limited stops), Gold (more stops) and Silver (All stops).

The service also introduced a new standard for KTM services. The drivers are known as captains (and for a time, donned pilot-style uniforms), and onboard flight-style attendants were introduced. Onboard light catering was also available on one of the middle (M1) cars.

For a brief period, an almost non-stop Platinum service was also introduced from Ipoh to KL Sentral (its only stop was the old KL station). The journey was made under 2 hours (1 hour 56 minutes).

Platinum passengers were also served light snacks enroute.

In the meantime, the upgrade of the KTM rail network soldiered on, this time North of Ipoh to Padang Besar (including Butterworth) [IPBDT] and South of Seremban, to Gemas [SGDT].

In 2013, the government awarded a contract to CRRC Zhuzhou of China to supply ten (10) new Intercity ETS EMUs, to be known as Class 93. Following the building of an assembly facility of the company in Perak (Batu Gajah), 4 were built in China and 6 assembled in Malaysia

(Interesting side note: the project was somehow termed additional trainsets to the previously supplied Class 92 SCS EMU for KTM Komuter, and for a while CRRC insisted on using the same external design of the SCS for the new ETS)

(We forgot to mention also that the ETS operates at a maximum regular speed of 140kmph ++, with as much as +9kmph ATP tolerance for the Class 91 ETS. Compare this with loco-hauled intercity services which topped out at 100kmph)

The new Chinese-designed Class 93 ETS EMUs, just like the Korean Class 91, brings about modern rail travel experience for KTMB passengers. Equipped with modern Passenger Information System (PIS), controlled-emission toilets, onboard catering, at-seat 240V power sockets...

The Class 91 ETS seats 350 passengers, while the Class 93 seats 312. The former has two regular + two universal access toilets, while the latter has two regular + one universal, along with a crew room + Muslim prayer room).

Also, the Class 91 has stainless steel carbody; the Class 93 aluminium. Both also sport air sprung bogies, which makes for comfortable rides.

In September of 2015, ETS services were finally extended to Padang Besar. It was initially served with a Class 91 ETS EMU with a stopover in Butterworth, before the new Class 93 EMUs took over some months later.

Gemas came online onto the ETS network shortly thereafter; commercial service between Gemas & Padang Besar as well as Butterworth commenced. These services were ran fully with the Class 93 ETS (also from KL Sentral), while the 91 remained for services between KL Sentral & Ipoh

In late 2016, the government awarded another contract to CRRC Zhuzhou for the supply of another nine (9) ETS trainsets. While maintaining the same basic design, the nine would be different from the first ten, and accordingly designated Class 93/2 (the first ten - Class 93/1).

While still seating 312 passengers in total, the Class 93/2 ETS would have 36 seats (Coach A) designated as Business Class coach, with rotating 2+1 abreast seating. They would also sport more modern PIS system [with more LED array displays], and a new colour scheme.

The Class 93/2 ETS was launched and officiated by the Sultan of Perak in October of 2019.

With the Business Class service, KTMB's passenger services have gone up a notch in standards and experience for those who are willing to pay a premium. At-seat meal service, personal entertainment system screen and onboard internet access are the main perks awaiting passengers.

Whew, this thread has turned into a very long one and took us a good part of two hours to construct! We hope you have found it informative nonetheless.

It's not inaccurate to say that the ETS is to KTM what HST Intercity 125 was to British Rail. The ETS & HST have turned around the fortunes of their respective companies, bringing a new era and dimension to rail travel that were often conceived as slow, inconvenient and outdated.

On that note, here's AH signing off. We hope to be able to tack on further to this subject soon, and hope you have found our thread informative. Do share with us your experience with the ETS! Have a good night!