The railway network covers most of the 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia. In East Malaysia, only the state of Sabah has railways. The network is also connected to the Thai railway1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) network in the north. If the Burma Railway is rebuilt, services to Myanmar, India, and China could be initiated.
locally manufactured concrete sleepers. Since the early 1980s, companies formed via international collaboration, such as Mastrak Sdn Bhd had been producing these sleepers via technology transfer.[8][9][10]
In the five years period of 1982-1987 alone, it was estimated that around 500,000 pieces of concrete sleepers had been laid down for the Kerdau-Jerantut and Sungai Yu-Tumpat lines.
Currently, a total of 767 km from the 1,776 km railway network is
double-tracked and electrified.[11] The tracks include a portion of the West Coast Line (from Gemas to Padang Besar) as well as the entire Port Klang and Batu Caves branch lines. The rail lines from Tanjung Malim to Pulau Sebang/Tampin, Padang Besar to Padang Rengas, as well as the Port Klang, Batu Caves and Butterworth branch lines are used for commuter rail services.[12]
Efforts in retrofitting the old tracks were done under the Electrified Double Track Project (EDTP) orchestrated by the Minister of Transport.[13] The first EDTP was done from Rawang to Ipoh from 2001 to 2009, stretching 179 km while the second EDTP was done from Ipoh to Padang Besar at a length of 329 km from January 2008 to November 2014.[14] There were also smaller scale EDTPs initiated in branch lines, such as the 7.2 km Batu Caves branch line, which was completed in 2010.
Malaysia's national petroleum company, Petronas, had once built and operated a single-track 75 km Kerteh–Kuantan Port railway line starting 1 April 2004. Despite this, the railway system was of poor quality and locomotives had to operate well below the designated speed. On 17 November 2010, the railway was eventually closed due to a number of recurring technical problems on the railway system such as drainage problems, improper slope protection and alleged usage of weak fill material within the embankment slope.[15][16]
Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral). It is operated by Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd. The rail link currently has two services: The KLIA Ekspres with 3 stations and KLIA Transit with 6 stations. The trains used can reach speeds of up to 176 km/h (109 mph).[19]
The Ampang and Sri Petaling lines started with a single rail line from Sentul Timur with branches to Ampang and Putra Heights via Chan Sow Lin station. The combined 45.1 km (28.0 mi) line has 36 stations and uses semi-automated trains. The lines entered service with the first phase opened on 16 December 1996, second phase in July 1998 and the recent extension on 30 June 2016.[21]
The Kelana Jaya line is a 46.4 km (28.8 mi) LRT system which runs from
Sri Petaling Line via Putra Heights had also finished on 1 July 2016.[22]
The only automated people mover system (APM) in Malaysia is the Aerotrain, which is located within Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The 1.2 km (0.75 mi) APM first commenced operation in 1998 and is operated by the Engineering Transportation bureau of Malaysia Airport (Sepang) Sdn Bhd. The system serves from Terminal A of KLIA to Satellite Terminal A and takes around 2.5 minutes of travel time.[23] The system ceased operations on 2 March 2023 due to technical problems on the aging system,[24] and will gradually reopen starting June 2024.[25]
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
Main articles:
Putrajaya Line
As the population of the
MRT Putrajaya Line and the upcoming MRT Circle Line. All three lines are operated by Rapid Rail and owned by MRT Corp.[26][27] MRT stations are also supported with additional parking areas and feeder buses for last mile connectivity.[28]
The
fully automated driverless rail system with 29 stations and stretches 47 km (29 mi) from Kwasa Damansara to Kajang. The KG line began construction on 8 July 2011, and its first phase finished on 16 December 2016. Since its full opening on 17 July 2017, the KG line has been serving in various densely populated suburban areas such as Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara and Balakong.[26][29][30][31]
The second MRT line currently in operation is the
fully automated driverless train-sets running from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya Sentral with a track length of 57.7 km (35.9 mi). Works in building the PYL line began on 15 September 2016 and its first phase was opened on 16 June 2022. The second phase also began operations on 16 March 2023. The PYL line provides a new and cheaper alternative for the population of Putrajaya to travel to the heart of Kuala Lumpur without the need for a personal vehicle or using KLIA Transit. The PYL line also links several townships south of Kuala Lumpur, including Cyberjaya, Seri Kembangan and Sungai Besi as well as Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).[26][32][33][34]
Malaysia has two monorail systems, one in Kuala Lumpur and another in Malacca City. Both monorail systems use elevated straddle-beams as rail tracks. The one in Kuala Lumpur is mainly used for urban public transport, while the one in Malacca City, now abandoned, is used as a displayed tourist attraction.
Another monorail system in Malaysia is the Melaka Monorail. It is a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) uni-directional single track monorail system which formerly had three stations.[38] Since its opening on 21 October 2010, the system suffered various incidents, including frequent breakdowns and lack of maintenance.[39] The company, Monorail Theme Park & Studios, which operated the system, had its contract terminated in September 2021 and the system had stopped operating. Now, there are no plans of reviving this system.[40]
Air Itam to the Upper Station on top of the Penang Hill. Despite the upgrade done in 2010, the aging rail infrastructure had led to the system having several breakdowns as it could not support large number of passengers at certain times.[42]
Cable transport in Malaysia is typically used in the tourism industry to transport tourists to the peak of a hill or highland using gondola lifts. As of May 2023, there are three cable transport systems built: Langkawi Cable Car, Awana Skyway and Genting Skyway. The former is located in Langkawi Island, while the latter two are located in Genting Highlands.
The Langkawi Cable Car, or Langkawi SkyCab, is a 2.2 km (1.4 mi) cable transport system transporting tourists to the peak of Mount Machinchang. The journey time takes around 15 minutes, and upon arrival, tourists are able to go to the Langkawi Sky Bridge via an inclined elevator. The construction of the cable car was realised following a survey of the most feasible method of public transportation on Mount Machinchang. The cable car commenced operations in 2003, owned by the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) and operated by Panorama Langkawi Sdn Bhd.[43][44]
Another two cable car systems located in Genting Highlands are Awana Skyway and Genting Skyway. Awana Skyway is a three-station 2.4 km (1.5 mi) cable car system owned by Genting Malaysia Berhad.[45] From 1977 to 2014, the system used an aerial tramway lift and had two stations.[46][47] A newer mono cable gondola lift system was later constructed on the existing system and was subsequently opened in 2016. It uses 60mm diameter solid cable wire ropes with 22 pylons, making it safer compared to the previous system. The system now has three stations, taking passengers to either the Awana Station, Chin Swee Station or the SkyAvenue Station, with the whole trip taking around 10 minutes and with an operating speed of 6 m/s.[48]
Besides the Awana Skyway, Genting Skyway is also a gondola lift cable car system in Genting Highlands. The system was opened on 21 February 1997, with two stations from Gohtong Jaya to Highlands Hotel. With a length of 3.38 km (2.10 mi), the system now serves as an alternative route whenever Awana Skyway is closed for maintenance. The trip duration for this system is 15 minutes, much longer compared to its twin system. This system is also owned by Genting Malaysia Berhad.[49][50]
Besides its own network, KTM also operates trains on the Kerteh-Kuantan railway under contract with Petronas, the owner of the line.
Sabah State Railway
The Sabah State Railway, previously the North Borneo Railway, is the only state department in Malaysia to operate a railway service. It operates passenger and freight services along the 134 km railway line between Tanjung Aru and Tenom in East Malaysia.
Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd
The
KL Sentral
. Except for check-in baggage of passengers, Express Rail Link does not handle any cargo.
Railways in Malaysia began because of the need to transport tin from mines in the hinterland of the West Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia to coastal ports. The first railway line, which was opened on 1 June 1885, was about 13 km long and ran between
Klang and subsequently to Port Swettenham (Port Klang
today).
Timeline
1885 – The first railway line in
Port Weld
is officially opened on 1 June.
1886 – Opening of line between
Klang
.
July 1888 – The first train crash in the country occurred in
Teluk Anson
, Perak.
1891 – Opening of the line between
Port Dickson
. (Abandoned since 2009)
1893 – Teluk Anson to Tapah Road line opened. (Closed in the 1990s)
1896 – Federated Malay States Railway created, merging the operations of the initial four lines.
1910 – The first stretch of the East Coast Line between Gemas and Bahau is opened.
1923 -
Johor-Singapore Causeway
was opened, connecting Singapore's railway network with the rest of Malaya.
1931 – East Coast Line between Tumpat and Gemas completed with the opening of the last stretch between Gua Musang and Kuala Gris in Kelantan.
3 August 1995 – The first KTM Komuter trains, Malaysia's first to be run on electricity, began taking passengers between Kuala Lumpur and Rawang. Entire commuter train network opened to passengers with the final stretch to Seremban becoming operational on 18 December 1995.
1996 – First
Ampang line
(then known as STAR LRT), opens on 16 December 1996.
2023 – Phase Two of Putrajaya Line opens on 16 March from Kentonmen to Putrajaya, including Malaysia's third underground subway from Sentul Barat to Bandar Malaysia (station put on hold). With its full opening, the Putrajaya Line is currently Malaysia's longest metro line at 58 km.
Projects and expansion plans
Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrification and Double-Tracking
The MYR 8 billion contract was expected to be tendered out by end 2008 pending a mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan. The project would have included building over 200 km of parallel railway tracks, including stations, depots, halts, yards and bridges and cover systems such as electrification, signalling and communications.[52]
This included the realignment between Pulau Sebang, Melaka to Gemas section.
In May 2009, Global Rail Sdn Bhd, a relatively small contractor and its Chinese partner, China Infraglobe submitted a proposal to the Government to build and upgrade tracks from Gemas to Johor Bahru at a cost of MYR 5 billion. According to them, the project would be on a private finance initiative basis and the plan submitted to the Finance Ministry later in June 2009 was conditional upon signing over mineral rights in Johor State.[53]
On 29 January 2011, Transport Minister
China Railway Construction, but nothing was confirmed yet. Kong said two consultants had been appointed, a design consultant and an independent checker, to monitor the project. The construction of the 197 km of tracks, at an estimated cost between MYR 6 billion and MYR 7 billion, would take three years.[54]
On 27 October 2015, the public display exercise, required for all development of new railways under Section 84 of Malaysia's Land Public Transport Act 2010, for the Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrification Double Tracking Project began and will run until 27 January 2016. According to documents on display to the public, construction is expected to begin in 2016 and be completed in 2021.[55]
The Chinese company
CRCC has been awarded to build the Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrification and Double-Tracking project. Construction on the project began in Jan 2018.[56]
It is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
The length of the line to be electrified and double-tracked is 197 km between Chainage 563.040 at
Tenang, Chamek and Senai. The upgraded line is supposed to cater for at least 22 services daily involving KTM ETS, KTM Intercity and shuttle train services as well as KTM Komuter
.
The documents displayed also stated that the electrification for the stretch will have the same specifications as that of the Seremban-Gemas stretch, at 25 kV AC 50 Hz single phase and supplied via an overhead catenary. Train operations for this stretch will be integrated with the Train Control Centres at KL Sentral and Gemas. The design speed for the tracks is 160 km/h.
Klang Valley Double Track Project
The project was implemented by Keretapi Tanah Melayu began in 2016 and phase 1 is expected to be completed by 2021.[57] The project entails the rehabilitation of 42 km of tracks between Rawang and Salak Selatan as well as Sentul and Simpang Batu. This will focus on enhancing 16 stations along these routes and upgrade the existing signalling and electrification system.[58] This will be reduced to just seven-and-a-half minutes once the KVDT is completed.[59]
The 42 km rehabilitation under Phase I, which are:
Phase 1A (Rawang – Simpang Batu)
Phase 1B (Kuala Lumpur – Simpang Bangsar)
Phase 2 (Simpang Batu – Kuala Lumpur)
Phase 3 (Sentul – Simpang Batu)
Phase 4 (Simpang Bangsar – Salak Selatan)
Phase II is from Simpang - Pelabuhan Klang and Salak Selatan - Seremban.
Penang Transport Master Plan
Main article:
George Town – Bayan Lepas LRT line
The Penang Transport Master Plan is a proposed, mixed-mode transport scheme for the state of Penang in northern Peninsular Malaysia conceived by the Penang state government, consisting of light rail, bus and rapid transit systems. The Bayan Lepas light rapid transit (LRT) line will be the first LRT line in Penang. It is The first and one of the priority projects of the Master Plan. The proposed 22 km (14 mi) will exclusively serve the Penang Island, and will link the city centre of George Town in the north with the industrial town of Bayan Lepas
to the south of the island.
East Coast Rail Link
Main article:
KTM East Coast Line
. Currently, Terengganu is the only state in Peninsular Malaysia without a passenger railway system, as the KTM East Coast Line only services Pahang and Kelantan.
Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System
Main article:
Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System
The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) is a planned
Prasarana Malaysia, the owner of the LRT lines, signed an agreement on 13 October 2006 with
CSR Zhuzhou
of China.
The entire project and fleet expansion was completed and have been in full operation since 30 June 2016.
A third LRT system is under construction which, once completed, will link the city centre with the cities of Shah Alam and Klang. The line, which spans 37 km, has 25 permanent stations under construction, one of them being kept as provisional stations for the future.[60] The LRT line is planned to be fully operational by 2026.
Sarawak rail transportation projects
Main articles:
Kuching LRT
states in Malaysia that do not have railway infrastructure. In Sarawak, a railway line existed before the Second World War, but the last remnants of the line were dismantled in 1959.[61]
Another railway line, the Sarawak Railway Line is a proposed project by the Malaysian government to establishing a railway network in the state of Sarawak.[63][64] In 2008, it was reported the project will be ready in 2015 but still no signs of development by the government until present.[65]
The
light rapid transit (LRT) system network in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak. as one of the methods to ease traffic congestion in the city.[66][67] The proposed LRT lines will connect Kuching to Samarahan and Serian.[68] The construction of the RM10.8 billion project was expected to commence by 2019 and was scheduled to be operational by 2024.[69]
On 17 September 2015, it was announced that the Sabah State Railway will be extended to cover the northern and east coast areas, mainly to major towns of Kudat, Sandakan and Tawau.[70][71] On 21 March 2017, around RM1 million has been allocated for the project study.[72] Once the project is complete, there is also a proposal to connecting the rail networks of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia with the provinces of Kalimantan in Indonesia that will be called as "Trans-Borneo Railway",[73] as Indonesia were currently developing the railway network on their side.[74][75]
A proposed
ground breaking process under the Kota Kinabalu development plan.[82]
A new rapid transit line has also been proposed to ease traffic congestions in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah. On 27 August 2019, the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) has submitted a proposal to build an LRT or MRT to the federal government. The city authorities are currently waiting for budget on the project.[83]
On 2021, a skytrain system of Kota Kinabalu was proposed. The skytrain is planned to connect the Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Four companies which will be involved in the skytrain project signed a memorandum of understanding on 29 November. The skytrain will be built by phases, with phase 1 will be connecting the airport to the city centre, while phase 2 will extended till Alamesra, near the university.[84]
MMC Corporation Berhad for the Klang Valley which envisages a "Wheel and Spoke" concept comprising two northeast–southwest radial lines and one circle line
looping around Kuala Lumpur. The proposal was announced in early-June 2010 and construction works were targeted to commence in early 2011, leading to project completion in 2016 for the first line.
The MRT system will be the backbone of a new transport system in Klang Valley, which will be home to an estimated 10 million people by 2020. The MRT system will be integrated with the existing LRT, monorail, KTM Komuter and intra- and inter-city bus services to form an effective public transportation system.
In December 2010, the Government announced that the Kajang Line will be the first to take off. The Kajang Line will run from Sungai Buloh to Kajang through the Kuala Lumpur city centre. This route which runs from north-west to south-east of Kuala Lumpur is densely populated and is currently inadequately served by the then existing rail-based public transport. Upon completion, the line is estimated to provide service to 1.2 million people with an estimated daily ridership of 442,000.
Construction of the line was officially launched on 8 July 2011 by then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Phase 1 of the line, from Sungai Buloh to Semantan station was operational by December 2016 while the remainder of the line opened in July 2017.[85]
The MRT system will be owned by the Government of Malaysia through the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp), a special purpose vehicle which is 100% owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated. Rapid Rail, which is the current operator of the Klang Valley's LRT and monorail lines operated the MRT lines under its integrated fare system.
A second MRT line, the Putrajaya Line, is currently under construction and is slated to be completed and fully operational by January 2023. The third MRT line, the Circle Line, is another proposed line and would be the "Wheel" component of the MRT project. The line was recently approved by the Cabinet and is currently awaiting the tendering process.[86] Constructions are expected to commence by December 2028.[87]