Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (abbreviation: KTM or KTMB; literally "Railway Company of the Malay States") is the largest railway company in Malaysia . Its network includes the meter-gauge routes on the Malay Peninsula .
The railway system was built in 1885 by the colonial power Great Britain and taken over by Malaysia after its independence. The rail network is now largely outdated and line speeds are correspondingly low. The railroad is therefore less important than the airplane or the bus.
There are two main routes that run from Singapore through Malaysia towards Thailand, called the East and West Lines. The west route leads from Singapore via Johor Bahru , Gemas , Kuala Lumpur , Ipoh and Butterworth to Hat Yai in Thailand. The east line, also known as the jungle line, branches off in Gemas. It crosses the mountain range of Malaysia and ends in Wakaf Bharu (near Kota Bharu ) and Tumpat . There is no direct connection to Thailand. However, the distance between the border and the Sungei Kolok terminus in Thailand is not very great.
After the privatization of the KTMB in 1992, a renovation program was started, in the course of which the west line should have been electrified and expanded to two lanes. However, the project was stopped by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi .
In the meantime, the line from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh is completely new, cross-free and has been put into operation as a double-track electrified line. For this purpose, new electric multiple units have been on the road since mid-2010, which run at a top speed of 160 km / h every hour. This fast and comfortable rail connection has been very well received.
The remaining 330 kilometers from Ipoh to the border with Thailand - Padang Besar - are in full length in double-track expansion and new construction and will also be electrified.
The extension of this modern line to Singapore is still at the planning stage. In addition, the east coast is to be connected to this competitive rail network through partial modernization and new construction.
This is all happening within the framework of the implementation of the UN project "South Corridor of the Trans-Asian Railway" and the related railway line Kunming - Singapore.
