The changes will affect journeys linking the northern and southern parts of the network. Passengers traveling between Johor Bahru Sentral and Butterworth (Penang) or Padang Besar (the border to Thailand), as well as those taking trains between Butterworth and Segamat, will no longer be able to complete their journeys on a single train.
Instead, they will have to transfer at Kuala Lumpur’s KL Sentral station before boarding another service to reach their final destination.
KTMB CEO Azlan Shah Al Bakri said the restructuring is designed to make better use of the company’s limited rolling stock while responding to growing passenger demand.
Currently, a train set assigned to a long-distance journey from Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar is effectively committed to that route. By breaking up certain services and introducing connections at intermediate points, the same train set can operate several trips rather than being tied up on one lengthy journey.
“This allows for better seating capacity, frequency and more trains for our customers to meet greater demand,” he said on Monday, November 2.
The approach is also used by railway operators internationally, particularly where demand is rising faster than the availability of trains.
For passengers, the main advantage should be more departures, improved seat availability and potentially greater flexibility when planning journeys. Making existing trains work harder could also allow KTMB to accommodate more travelers without immediately investing in additional train sets.
Ticket issues at start
However, the changes will bring some inconvenience. Passengers will need to factor in transfer times at KL Sentral, leave sufficient time between connections and manage their luggage when switching trains.
Journeys may also become less convenient for families, elderly travelers and those with mobility difficulties.
Ticketing is another issue. Initially, passengers making journeys involving a KL Sentral transfer will have to purchase separate tickets for each section.
KTMB says it is upgrading its booking system to allow connecting journeys to be purchased in a single transaction from December, simplifying the process and making transfers easier to organize.
The operator has already released one million seats for travel during January and February 2027. Azlan said additional services could be introduced beyond the published timetable as the company implements its capacity-management measures.
Tags: Malaysia Azlan Shah Al Bakri Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB)
