The Electric Train Service Route 3 (ETS3) connecting Gemas to JB Sentral was officiated by Yang Dipertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim this morning. With the opening of the ETS3 route, ETS services can now be operated from Padang Besar in the North to Johor Bahru along a distance of 952 km.
YDPA Sultan Ibrahim also later agreed to drive an ETS3 carriage from Kuala Lumpur station to Kluang station. In Kluang, his Majesty will also officiate the Mahkota Railway Yard, a 2.8 km public park developed under the Gemas-Johor Bahru Electric Double Track Project viaduct.
Although the ETS3 has been officially inaugurated, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said it is still undergoing technical testing and that services will commence this September. The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru will only take 3.5 hours using the ETS3 which travels at a speed of 140 km/h. The total construction cost is RM 9.5 billion.
KTM Class 94 Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains are being used, equipped with WiFi services and USB charging ports. The first two sets of EMUs were manufactured by CRRC Zhuzhou in China with the next eight sets to be built in Batu Gajah.
The launch of ETS3 completes the North-South route that users have been longing for since ETS began operations in 2010 via the Ipoh to Seremban route. Under ETS3, 9 new stations were added to the ETS system, namely Labis, Bekok, Paloh, Kluang, Renggam, Layang-Layang, Kulai, Kempas Baru and Johor Bahru Sentral.