More than just a train: High speed rail has proven to be transformative in Japan and other developed countries as a form of mobility that moves people efficiently while spurring development. Seen here is an E7 shinkansen train in Tokyo. — MENG YEW CHOONG/The Star
IT is as predictable as clockwork. The peak travel times of holidays and school breaks will definitely lead to the roads in and out of the Klang Valley to get very congested.
On the weekend of Sept 14-16, the perfect storm of a school break, a long weekend with two public holidays, and the mid- autumn festival led to the journey from Kuala Lumpur to Penang to stretch to 10 hours for some drivers – usually, it only takes about five hours.
This situation is likely to be repeated soon, as more vehicles get on the road, with no sign of registrations abating soon. According to government data, 127,395 vehicles (all types) were added in August 2024 alone, a big leap following the sharp dip during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Experts have long pointed out that any government that wants to get more people using public transport will have to roll out a comprehensive array of restrictions and incentives, otherwise known as the carrot-and-stick approach. Some countries that have been successful in this regard are Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.
While the modal shift from private vehicles to shared forms of mobility is happening in Malaysia too, it’s moving rather slowly judging by how trains in the Klang Valley are only crowded during morning and evening peak travel periods during the work week.
In 2018, the modal share of urban public transport was 20%; the government wants to increase this to 50% by 2040 as part of its Low Carbon Nation Aspiration plan – and rail will be a big part of achieving that figure.
What’s in the works
In terms of intercity rail, some quick improvements can be expected over the next few years according to a recent announcement by the Transport Ministry.
Starting now until 2027, the government will acquire 62 new passenger train sets from China for KTM Bhd (KTMB) at an estimated cost of RM10.7bil, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Aug 16.
Acquired under a leasing arrangement, the train sets will consist of 36 three-car electric multiple unit (EMU) sets, 12 six-car EMU sets, and 14 six-car diesel multiple unit sets. This arrangement, the ministry said, will ensure “train operations are more efficient and safer for the convenience of the public”.
Currently, KTMB suffers from insufficient train sets, hampering its ability to increase services on popular routes such as the ETS (electric train service) from Kuala Lumpur to the northern region and vice versa, among others.
Loke said KTMB only has 68 passenger train sets operating nationwide at present.
“Besides improving the quality of railway services, track utilisation is also expected to increase from the current 30% to 45% by 2027.
“Without immediate improvements, the quality of KTMB’s network services is at risk of deteriorating. Therefore, there is an urgent need to increase the number of passenger trains for each service route offered,” said Loke.
The long drawn out process of rehabilitation and electrification of aged tracks in the Klang Valley, in what is known as the Klang Valley Double Track Rehabilitation Project (Phases 1 and 2), is also a factor in hindering service improvements, as passenger trains have to run slower or stop at stretches undergoing work.
In a written reply to a question asked in Parliament in March, Loke said that Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024. However, no updates have been provided so far.
Phase 2 covers over 110km from Salak South in KL to Seremban, and from KL Sentral to Port Klang, and will likely need at least another seven years to be completed.
At the same Aug 16 press conference, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli acknowledged the important role of public transportation in reducing congestion and improving sustainability, while also driving economic growth.
“To achieve 80% railway track utilisation in Peninsular Malaysia by 2030, the government has outlined plans to gradually increase passenger trains to 299 trains by then,” he said.
As far as a quick measure to reduce traffic congestion, mobility experts are awaiting the proposed rationalisation of RON95 petrol subsidies, which is expected to spur an increased use of public transport, especially in urban centres that are relatively more well served.
Easier coast to coast travel
Work on the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is ongoing smoothly, with plans to provide passenger services between Kota Baru and the Gombak Integrated Transport Terminal (also the terminus for the Kelana Jaya LRT) in Selangor on track for opening in 2027.
The ECRL will be transformative as it is expected to reduce the number of cars and flights to the east coast states of Kelantan, Pahang, and Terengganu by shortening the distance and reaching previously underserved areas that will also now double up as future growth centres.
Even by stopping at state capitals Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu, electric passenger trains that can easily hit 160kph – in combination with the alignment – will still complete the Kota Baru to Gombak leg in four hours, something impossible by other forms of land transport.
This will give short haul flights some stiff competition, of course. In the European Union, several member states have curbed short flights outright on the grounds of mitigating climate change.
In 2022, France banned short-haul domestic flights under a law that stipulates that no one should fly if the journey can be completed in less than 2.5 hours by train, a move that is now being emulated by Spain and other EU states as momentum to embrace greener transport grows. The Swedish term flygskam, or flight shame, continues to be a buzzword, along with hashtags like #jagstannarpåmarken, which broadly means to #stayontheground.
But those wishing to embrace more rail travel in Malaysia for intercity travel don’t have much to choose from, at least for the next two years.
ETS tickets to the northern region are always quickly sold out due to limited seats in a limited number of trains. Train services to the southern region, such as from Gemas, Negri Sembilan, to Johor Baru, will probably only materialise in another year, and that too, is again subject to KTMB’s limited train sets. (Unless the leased trains from China arrive quickly enough at least.)
High speed rail to complete network
Japan’s high-speed rail (HSR), nicknamed shinkansen (new trunk line), just marked its 60th anniversary this week, with the Tokaido shinkansen opening for service between Tokyo and Osaka on Oct 1, 1964.
Technological evolution has been tremendous, with top speeds having risen from 210kph to 320kph, while daily ridership easily exceeded one million passengers a day across the country’s HSR network in pre-pandemic times.
In a social media post when the line turned 50 years old, the Japanese government said by greatly reducing travel time, the shinkansen allows people to spend more time at their destination, increasing their opportunities to consume goods and services there.
“Moreover, by expanding people’s ‘range of activity’, the shinkansen has enlarged the commutable area, increased visitors to tourist destinations, and heightened the value of real estate assets.
“In this way, the shinkansen has had valuable business effects throughout its service area,” the post read.
As an example, it cited the economic growth in Kagoshima Prefecture at the southern tip of Kyushu Island, a point 1,200km south of Tokyo; the area saw an estimated addition in value at more than ¥46bil (RM1.33bil) when shinkansen service was extended to southern Kyushu in 2011.
“For passengers, railway stations are no longer just transit points; they are places to enjoy through shopping, dining, and other activities. The economic benefits of the shinkansen lie not just in shortening travel time; the positive effects are tangible in the businesses that have been established in station buildings throughout the system,” read the post.
For the record, Japan has chosen not to participate in the ongoing proposal by Malaysia to develop its HSR network, which is understood to be a three-horse race among various consortia formed with Malaysian companies’ participation.
Over in Indonesia, South-East Asia’s inaugural HSR service is on track to serve six million riders as it looks towards its first anniversary of commercial operations on Oct 17.
The Jakarta-Bandung HSR, nicknamed Whoosh, began trials on Sept 7, 2023, and commercial operations on Oct 17 that year, with ridership hitting the five million mark after 11 months of service.
Indonesia is now studying the feasibility of extending its HSR from Bandung to Surabaya, another 700km away, to optimise the capabilities of the Whoosh train sets, that can hit 350kph, and distribute growth more evenly.
“As can be seen all over the world, nothing has stayed still as far as rail travel is concerned,” says Datuk Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal, CEO of MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd, the special purpose vehicle under the Finance Ministry that is the project owner of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project.
“Things continually move forward as the world searches for workable low-carbon solutions in an era punctuated by calls for comprehensive sustainability all-round.”
In this regard, he said Malaysia’s quest for its inaugural HSR network fits right into the equation to spread sustainable growth beyond Klang Valley and spur regional development in the southern region.
“It is envisaged that this HSR will catalyse vibrancy in the emerging conurbation in ways that is not possible through other modes of transport, and should not be seen as a mere transportation project – HSR is way more than that.”
