The KTM ETS, commercially known as ETS (Electric Train Service), is an inter-city higher-speed rail service in Malaysia operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). It was introduced as the operator's second electrified train service after KTM Komuter, and represents Malaysia's second inter-city rail system after KTM Intercity.
Launched in 2010, the ETS is Malaysia's fastest metre-gauge train service. It operates on the historic KTM West Coast Line in western Peninsular Malaysia, which has since been largely electrified and double-tracked. Its maximum speed of is among the fastest for metre-gauge train services worldwide.
The service runs along the full extent of the West Coast Line, between near the border with Thailand and near the border with Singapore.
History First phase (August 2010 - July 2015)
The service was introduced by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) on 12 August 2010 between Ipoh and Seremban following the completion of the electrification and double-tracking of the Rawang to Ipoh stretch of the West Coast Line. Its inaugural run was celebrated with an opening ceremony at Kuala Lumpur railway station. Initially, services stretched southwards to Seremban, but the KL Sentral-Seremban sector was taken out of service in October 2012. At launch, there were three service types—Platinum, Gold, and Silver. On the fastest Platinum service, the trip was covered in two hours, one hour faster than by car. Gold and Silver services had more stops, hence taking up to 2 hours and 30 minutes. The route was served solely by 5 Class 91 electric trains.
Second phase (July–October 2015)
The service was extended from Ipoh to Padang Besar via Butterworth, the mainland town opposite George Town, with the introduction of the ETS Transit on 10 July 2015, with stops at 24 stations. At the inception of service, only one train service in both directions was introduced. This service was named the ETS Transit.
On the following day, 11 July 2015, a new service called the ETS Ekspres between KL Sentral and Padang Besar, via Butterworth was introduced, which only stops at 15 stations. Again, only one service for both directions was introduced. Subsequently, on 1 September 2015, an additional service between KL Sentral and was introduced. New rolling stock, the Class 93 trains, were introduced in conjunction with the extended service.
Third phase (October 2015 - March 2025)
On 10 October 2015, the ETS service was extended southwards from KL Sentral to with the introduction of a new service between and . The extension of the KTM ETS service to utilizes the electrified double-track between and which was completed in 2014. This extension of service also saw the ETS service returning to after being discontinued in 2012.
On the same date, 10 October 2015, a new service was launched between and in addition to existing services. However, this service was subsequently reduced in frequency and ultimately terminated with the introduction of the new KTM Komuter Northern Sector.
There were constant revisions of timetables and services as more trains became available, with more train services being added for each of the route segments. The Platinum, Gold, and Silver services were also reintroduced while the terms "ETS Ekspres" and "ETS Transit" were retired.
In 2020, due to traveling restrictions amid efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only two trips per day along the five then operational routes albeit with fewer Gold service trains. Services were restored as the pandemic situation improved.
On 1 August 2024, KTM reintroduced the ETS Express services consisting of three limited-stop daily services between KL Sentral and Ipoh, Butterworth and Padang Besar respectively, replacing former ETS Gold and ETS Platinum services on these routes. The new services reduced travel times to 2 hours between KL Sentral and Ipoh, 3 hours 35 minutes between KL Sentral and Butterworth and 4 hours 50 minutes between KL and Padang Besar. They were introduced after the completion of Phase 1 of the Klang Valley Double Track and Electrification (KVDT) Project.
Fourth phase (March 2025 - January 2026)
With the staggered completion of the Gemas-JB Electrified Double Tracking Project (EDTP), ETS services were extended southwards in stages throughout 2025 as portions of the line were completed. On 15 March 2025, the ETS was extended beyond station to the new station, which was rebuilt as part of the EDTP. On 30 August 2025, the ETS line was extended to station, with the introduction of a new ETS Platinum service between and Kluang. Between 10 October 2025 until 12 December 2025, KTM operated an additional weekend-only (every Friday, Saturday and Sunday) service between KL Sentral and Kluang, providing 2 return trips for those 3 days.
On 12 December 2025, the KL Sentral-Kluang route was extended to JB Sentral. This marks the completion of the electrification and double tracking of the main passenger trunk line on the KTM West Coast railway line between Peninsular Malaysia's northern and southern borders. The existing ETS Gold service from Padang Besar was extended from Segamat to JB Sentral on 1 January 2026, for the first time providing a complete direct north–south electric train service for Peninsular Malaysia. Since 24 February 2026, ETS Platinum services from and Padang Besar to JB Sentral were introduced.
List of stations
The following table lists the principal stations served by KTM ETS services along the electrified West Coast Line, arranged from north to south between and , reflecting the full extent of the intercity network across Peninsular Malaysia.
Padang Besar–JB Sentral via Ipoh, KL Sentral and Gemas ⇄ = cross-platform interchange ⇅ = connected interchange CodeNameImageCumulativedistance (km)InterchangesNotesPDR0.0⇄ Northern terminus. Connects to Thailand's Southern Line.
Linkbridge access to the Padang Besar customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex.
Northern terminus of the KTM Komuter Padang Besar–Butterworth Line.ARU29.4Serves Universiti Teknologi MARA's (UiTM) Arau Campus, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP),Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), and Perlis Matriculation CollegeABT60.0Connects to Sultan Abdul Halim Airport.ALS68.2GRN103.1SPT124.5Serves UiTM's Merbok CampusTGL 142.5NTB 179.1⇄ Serves Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) Engineering CampusPBT185.4BGS195.8TPG239.4KKS267.6SGS288.8IPH326.1Southern terminus of the KTM Komuter Butterworth-Ipoh Line. BTG340.1 Serves as the ETS depot, together with the CRRC rolling stock centre.KMR363.1 Serves Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman's (UTAR) Kampar Campus.TPH 378.6 SUI402.6 SLR426.8 TJM445.6⇄ Northern terminus of the KTM Komuter .
Serves Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI).BTK480.8RWG500.6SGB514.9⇄ ⇅ KPS520.7KLO532.6⇄ ⇅ KLS (KL Sentral)533.6⇄ ⇅ Eastern terminus of the KTM Komuter BTS542.8⇄ ⇅ Connects to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) Bus Hub.KJG559.8⇄ ⇅ SRB605.9⇄ Connects to Terminal 1 Shopping Centre Bus Terminal.PST655.1Southern terminus of the KTM Komuter .BML680.6 GMS707.6⇄ Interchange with towards .SGM 733.6Connects to Segamat Bus Terminal. LBS 763.1 BKK 779.0 PLH 792.9⇄ Northern terminus of the KTM Komuter Paloh–JB Sentral Line. KLG 816.6⇄ RGM 835.3⇄ LYG 848.2 KLI 871.5⇄ Connects to Kulai Bus Terminal and Senai International Airport. KPB 892.4⇄ Western terminus of the KTM Komuter Kempas Baru–Pasir Gudang Line. Serves Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's (UTM) Skudai Campus. JBS (JB Sentral) 903.0⇄ ⇅ Southern terminus. Future linkbridge access to Bukit Chagar on the RTS Link to Singapore.
Direct access to the Sultan Iskandar Building's customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex.
Southern terminus of the KTM Komuter Paloh–JB Sentral Line.
Butterworth–JB Sentral via Ipoh, KL Sentral and Gemas ⇄ = cross-platform interchange Code NameImageCumulativedistance (km) Interchanges NotesBTW(145.1)⇄ Penang branch terminus. Connects to Penang Sentral and the Penang Ferry terminal. Future connecting station to LRT Mutiara Line.
Western terminus of KTM Komuter Padang Besar-Butterworth Line and Butterworth-Ipoh Line.BMT(155.3)continues southbound via
Train services Operations
KTM ETS services operate along the electrified and double-tracked West Coast Line, running between in the north and in the south. Services operate with multiple daily departures and are centred around key interchange stations such as KL Sentral, and .
Service patterns vary according to train category. ETS Platinum services operate as limited-stop express trains between major cities, while ETS Gold and Express services serve a wider range of intermediate stations. This tiered stopping pattern enables both long-distance intercity travel and regional connectivity.
Most services originate from KL Sentral, which functions as the primary operational hub of the network, providing interchange with KTM Komuter and other rail services. Trains operate bidirectionally throughout the day at speeds of up to approximately , depending on route conditions.
Routes Odd-numbered train services denote southbound trains (towards KL Sentral, Segamat and JB Sentral), while even-numbered services denote northbound trains (towards Padang Besar, Butterworth, Ipoh and KL Sentral). Northbound and southbound services are typically paired as return journeys operating on a daily basis.
The following table summarises the principal ETS service patterns, including route coverage, service types, journey duration, stopping patterns and rolling stock assignment.
+Train numberRouteService typeDurationStopsTrain tripsClass EG9041, EG9044, EG9045, EG9049, EG9052, EG9055, EG9056, EG9058–2h 34m12491 & 93/1EX9008, EX90112h41 EP9223, EP9224, EP9225, EP9226, EP9233, EP9238–5h 21m15393/2 & 94EX9209, EX92144h 50m91 EP9121, EP9123, EP9124, EP9130, EP9133, EP9135, EP9136, EP9138–4h 5m124EX9108, EX91093h 35m61 EP9425, EP9428–9h 36m26 EG9442, EG944910h 18m3893/1 EG9343, EG9352–7h 7m24EP9323, EP9326–8h 20m2293/2 & 94 EP9523, EP9524, EP9528, EP9530, EP9531, EP9532, EP9533, EP9535 –4h 20m174 The service patterns are designed to balance express and all-stop operations, with Platinum, Gold and Express services differing in stopping frequency and journey time.
The ETS network operates along the electrified West Coast Line, forming the main north–south rail corridor of Peninsular Malaysia between near the Malaysia–Thailand border and near the Malaysia–Singapore border. Major intermediate hubs include Butterworth and KL Sentral, with most long-distance services originating from Kuala Lumpur.
The ETS operates seven routes, namely:
- via - via - via , and - via , and - via , and - via
Currently, there are five return trips each on the - and - routes, four return trips each on the - and - routes, two return trips on the - routes, and one return trip each on the - and - routes daily. In addition to these trips, there are several additional trips on some of the respective routes during school holidays or major religious holidays.
Services
The train services are operated in four categories: Express service with fewer limited stops (3 return trips), along with business class coach service Platinum service with limited stops (13 return trips), along with business class coach service Gold service with selected stops (6 return trips) Silver service with stops at all stations (Terminated temporarily as of 1 January 2026)
Standard class