SEREMBAN, March 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will receive two sets of electric train service (ETS) trains from China next month, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the remaining eight sets of trains will be installed in the country through a factory in Batu Gajah, Perak, with the new trains set to be operational in stages at the end of this year.
"… What we are doing now is that we will extend the existing ETS services to Segamat because the Segamat Station has been completed but the Johor Bahru Station isn't. So, the services can't start from Johor Bahru, it will only reach up to Segamat.
"Segamat can use the existing trains and all the new trains are being prepared. In fact, the two new trains will also arrive from the (supplier in) China next month,” he told reporters here today.
Loke, who is also the Seremban Member of Parliament, said this after attending the Transport Minister’s meeting with community leaders and the breaking of fast event, which was also attended by Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
Loke said that with the new trains put in service, the frequency of ETS service from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur would also increase and this would benefit the passengers.
"Seremban will also benefit because all trains from Johor will pass through Seremban, so there will be increased frequency, from Johor or Kuala Lumpur or the north will increase, passengers from Seremban will have more options, whether to take the train from the south or the north,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said the Seremban Sentral Station here, which is equipped with new and advanced facilities, is expected to be completed in the next two years, with piling work currently underway.
"Surely it will benefit the people. This station will be an attraction among the people, it will not just be a terminal but will be integrated with commercial activities. The area to be developed behind the station will be a link between the station and the area,” he said.
Earlier, at the breaking of fast event, Loke witnessed the handing over of RM300,000 in business tithe from the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) to the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Council for the 2024 financial year, besides presenting cash aid to mosques, surau and the asnaf group.
-- BERNAMA
