Sashidaran Gunathevan
KTMB is offering a record 1,573,872 ETS and ERT seats for January to March 2027. That is 39% more than the same period this year.
Ticket sales open in stages from 2 November. KTMB will also add daily ETS trips and two more hub stations next year.
Here is what is on offer, how the timetable grows and what long-distance travellers must now do.
What KTMB is offering
The ETS and ERT seats go on sale in two rounds. Of the total, 1,520,592 seats are for the Electric Train Service. The other 53,280 are for the Ekspres Rakyat Timuran, or ERT. The ETS therefore holds nearly 97% of the seats.
Last year, KTMB offered 1,131,500 seats for the same three months. The new figure is the most it has ever offered for a first quarter, Bernama reported.
Sales open at noon on 2 November for travel in January and February. Tickets for March travel go on sale on 1 December.
KTMB said early sales help the public plan around school holidays, public holidays and festive seasons.
KTMB said the extra capacity gives rail users more travel options. Demand is rising, it added.
Buyers can use the KITS Style app or the KTMB website. Our earlier story on 4.4 million tickets shows how fast seats can go.
More trips and new hubs
KTMB will raise ETS frequencies from 44 services a day this year to 50 from Monday to Thursday. On Friday to Sunday, the figure rises to 58.
That is up to 14 more trips a day. KTMB said the aim is more schedule options, especially at weekends and in peak seasons.
The JB Sentral to KL Sentral route also grows. Daily trips there rise from eight to 12.
In addition, the Old Kuala Lumpur Station and Subang Jaya Station will become ETS hubs. KTMB said this should ease crowds at KL Sentral.
The upgrade also targets crowding. KTMB said the hubs give passengers other places to board.
KTMB expects ETS ridership to reach 6.28 million in 2027, up from 5.9 million this year.
KTMB has changed its ETS timetable before, including new express services.
A transfer rule for long routes
From 1 January 2027, some long-distance trains will change. Direct trips from JB Sentral to Butterworth and Padang Besar will end. So will trips between Butterworth and Segamat.
The same applies in the reverse direction. Passengers on these routes must change trains at KL Sentral.
KTMB gave no reason for ending the through trips. It also ended its Southern Express service on 1 January 2026, reports said.
At present, a trip with a change at KL Sentral needs two separate ticket purchases. KTMB is upgrading its booking system, so one purchase will cover the whole journey from December.
KTMB said ticketing improvements are under way. Meanwhile, passengers should check both ETS timetables before buying. They also need enough time to change trains at KL Sentral.
Check the KTMB website for the final timetable before you book.
Travel times on the northern line have also fallen. See how the ETS Express cuts the KL to Ipoh trip.
C. Khor
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