KUALA LUMPUR — Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) is rolling out 124 additional train services to provide nearly 39,000 extra seats to meet surging travel demand during the upcoming National Day celebrations and school holidays.
The state rail operator confirmed that the expanded schedule, running across key dates between August 21 and September 6, will accommodate anticipated holiday traffic.
Expanding Intercity and Regional Rail Service
The majority of the extra capacity will come from 100 additional Electric Train Service (ETS) trips, offering 31,600 seats across a 10-day period. These supplemental services are scheduled for August 21 to 23, August 28 to 31, and September 4 to 6.
In addition, KTMB is operating 24 EMU Plus services on selected dates throughout the holiday window. This adds 7,344 seats and extends service to Bandar Tasik Selatan to give commuters greater connectivity.
For regional commuters in northern Peninsular Malaysia, KTMB is adding eight daily KTM Komuter trips along the Padang Besar to Butterworth route from August 27 to 31. This increases daily operations on the sector to 46 trips. Tickets for all additional services went on sale on August 13 through official KTMB channels.
Strong Demand Marks 16 Years of Operations
The service expansion coincides with the 16th anniversary of the ETS network, which launched on August 12, 2010.
KTMB Group Chief Executive Officer Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri noted that the service began with the Ipoh line before expanding north to Butterworth and Padang Besar in 2015, followed by southern extensions in late 2025.
Since its inception, ETS has carried 44.3 million passengers. Between January and July 2026, passenger volume reached 3.67 million—a 56 per cent jump from 2.36 million during the same period in 2025. KTMB noted that the extra holiday trains form part of an ongoing strategy to improve capacity and passenger comfort during high-density travel periods.
