KTMB offers two days of free Komuter rides in Klang Valley for Thaipusam, with 24-hour station ops and extra ETS trips to manage crowds.
KUALA LUMPUR: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will provide free Komuter train services in the Klang Valley for two days during the Thaipusam festival.
The free travel initiative from midnight on January 31 until 11.59 pm on February 1 aims to assist an estimated 2.5 million devotees and tourists travelling to Batu Caves.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the RM1 million initiative is designed to ensure smooth passenger movement and minimise congestion.
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KTMB will operate 609 trips during this period, a 23% increase from last year’s Thaipusam services.
The additional trips will cover the Batu Caves–Pulau Sebang, Batu Caves–Port Klang, and Tanjong Malim–KL Sentral routes.
A total of 28 KTMB stations will remain open 24 hours a day to manage passenger flow and assist vulnerable groups.
From January 29 to February 3, KTMB will also add eight extra Electric Train Service (ETS) trips on several intercity routes.
These additional ETS services will provide 10,080 tickets for routes including JB Sentral-Butterworth and KL Sentral-Ipoh.
Prasarana Malaysia Berhad will offer free shuttle bus services in Kuala Lumpur and Penang for the festival.
In Penang, a 53-hour free ferry service will operate from January 31 to support devotees travelling to the island.
“In Kuala Lumpur, 30 buses will operate from Pasar Seni, Gombak LRT, and Kampung Batu MRT to Batu Caves every 10 minutes,” Loke added.
The BAS.MY service will deploy 169 additional free buses in Johor Bahru, Seremban, Ipoh, Kota Setar, and Sungai Petani.
Safety will be prioritised with extra staff, auxiliary police, and medical teams stationed at Batu Caves Station.
Passengers using the free Komuter service must scan out using the Automatic Gate Control system at their destination. – Bernama
