Kuala lumpur: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has announced the introduction of 186 additional trains for the Electric Train Service (ETS) and EMU Plus to accommodate the surge in passenger demand during Hari Raya Aidiladha and the school holidays from May 22 to June 7.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, KTMB has stated that these additional trains will provide 58,380 seats, with tickets available from noon on May 9 through the KITS Style app, KTMB official website, and KTMB kiosk tickets at selected stations. The KL Sentral-Padang Besar-KL Sentral route alone will offer 15,702 tickets for travel dates between May 22 to 26, May 29 to 31, and June 4 to 7. Similarly, the KL Sentral-Butterworth-KL Sentral and KL Sentral-Ipoh-KL Sentral routes will each offer 7,584 tickets for the same periods.

Furthermore, 18,960 tickets are available for the KL Sentral-JB Sentral-KL Sentral route for journeys from May 22 to 26, May 29 to 31, and June 1 to 7. The Klang-Ipoh-Klang EMU Plus route has 9,180 tickets for the periods of May 22 to 24, May 29 to 31, and June 5 to 7.

KTMB's group chief executive officer, Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri, highlighted that previous initiatives for additional train services during Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri received positive responses, particularly for high-demand routes such as the Johor Bahru sector. He further emphasized that the government's Road to Rail campaign has significantly encouraged public utilization of train services, which are known for being safer, more comfortable, and efficient.

In addition, sales for the Ekspres Lambaian Aidiladha (ELA) to the East Coast, announced on April 24, have seen 447 out of 912 tickets sold so far. KTMB is also offering a 30 percent discount for the ELA 1029 train from Tumpat to KL Sentral Superior Seater, limited to 274 seats starting May 11, with ticket prices reduced to RM56 from the original RM80.