Kuala lumpur: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will begin selling 12,600 additional tickets for Electric Train Service (ETS) trips on the KL Sentral - JB Sentral - KL Sentral sector starting 12.15am tomorrow. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the move addresses strong demand during the Chinese New Year period after all 131,879 tickets for travel between February 13 and 22 were sold out.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the additional capacity is possible following approval for the seventh ETS3 train set to operate. Loke expressed his satisfaction in announcing the availability of these additional tickets, made possible by the newly approved train set, during a session in the Dewan Rakyat today. He was responding to Lee Chuan How (PH-Ipoh Timor) regarding ETS and Ekspres Timuran ticket sales and additional services planned for the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive seasons.

Furthermore, Loke highlighted that KTMB will introduce the 'EMU Plus' service for the first time on the KL Sentral - Ipoh - KL Sentral route using a Six Car Set (SCS). This service will offer 7,344 additional seats on February 13-15 and February 20-22, with current sales reaching 43 percent.

He further explained that overall, KTMB is providing a substantial increase in tickets for this year's Chinese New Year, with 46,404 additional tickets on offer. This marks a 426 percent increase from the 8,820 tickets last year, facilitated by the addition of seven ETS3 sets and the near 24-hour operation of ETS services during the festive period.

Meanwhile, he noted that preparations for Hari Raya Aidilfitri also show strong demand, with 118,823 tickets, or 53 percent of the 224,196 seats available for travel between March 13 and 29, already sold. Loke added that sales of additional Aidilfitri tickets will be announced once existing tickets are fully sold.