The KTM Class 61 is a diesel multiple unit operated by

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (Jawi: كريتاڤي تانه ملايو برحد) or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was firs ...

for

KTM Intercity KTM Intercity ( ms, KTM Antarabandar) are diesel-hauled intercity train services in Peninsular Malaysia, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). Services operate along the East Coast Line between Tumpat and Gemas and on towards JB ...

services on non electrified sections of the

KTM West Coast railway line The West Coast railway line runs from Padang Besar railway station close to the Malaysia–Thailand border in Perlis (where it connects with the State Railway of Thailand) to Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore. It is called the West Coast ...

and the

KTM East Coast railway line The East Coast railway line (ECRL) is the single track metre gauge runs between Gemas railway station, in Negeri Sembilan and Tumpat railway station, in Kelantan of Malaysia. Gemas is the rail junction between the West Coast line and East Coast ...

Background

The idea of using DMUs is not new to KTMB. In 1960, the company operated diesel railcars on short distance services. The railcars operated in multiple unit formation until the mid 1970s, when they were converted into trailers and coupled with conventional diesel locomotives. In the 1980s, KTM ordered railbuses for similar services, but these services ended in the 1990s. Secondhand DMUs were also proposed for KTM Komuter services to make up for the shortage of EMUs, but in the end, the new

KTM Class 92 The Class 92 is a type of electric multiple unit operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu on its KTM Komuter services. A total of 38 sets were built by CSR Zhuzhou of China, in 6-car formations. History The Class 92 was procured under a Malaysian Gov ...

train sets were ordered instead.

Procurement

In 2015, the '' Business Times'' reported that KTMB had signed a deal for DMUs with Majestic Engineering, in which the DMUs will be supplied by CRRC. KTMB confirmed its intentions to get DMUs in 2016, pointing out its higher speeds compared to locomotive hauled trains In 2017, KTMB formally announced the procurement of 13 DMUs along with 9 ETS sets from CRRC. The trains were constructed from 2018 to 2020 by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive. The first two sets were built in CRRC’s factory in

Zhuzhou Zhuzhou (, ), formerly Jianning (建宁), is a prefecture-level city of Hunan Province, China, straddling the Xiang River southeast of the provincial capital, Changsha, and bordering Jiangxi province to the east. It is part of the " Greater Chan ...

, China whereas the remaining eleven were built in CRRC’s factory in

Batu Gajah Batu Gajah (population 133,422) is a municipality in Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. It is the capital of Kinta District. Etymology The name ''Batu Gajah'' in Malay means "elephant rock", it is presumably derived from two large boulders (' ...

, Malaysia.

Description

The trains have a design speed of and are expected to operate at up to . They are equipped with graphene-based supercapacitors for storing braking energy and two

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

powerpacks. The diesel engines can be replaced with fuel cells to reach zero emissions operation. The trains are fitted with a Wireless Train Tracker tool for location detection. Since the trains are used on non-upgraded sections where platform heights are lower, the trains are fitted with retractable steps to aid passengers in boarding. The train bodies themselves are specified to meet the European EN15227 crashworthiness standard.

Features

The trains feature digital passenger information systems, a prayer room and a light catering bar. Nine of the 13 trainsets will have one-third of a vehicle dedicated to carrying parcels and have commuter style seating i.e. a combination of transverse and longitudinal seating layouts. Such trains are meant for regional services such as the Shuttle Timur service. The remaining four sets have 2+2 transverse seating and are meant for long distance travel.

Service History

The trains were speculated to enter service from 1 October 2020, on the Ekspres Selatan from Gemas to JB Sentral as online bookings reflected the new train’s seating arrangement. However, this did not eventuate. When in service, they are expected to cut journey times as their operating speed of 100 km/h is higher than the average speed of existing trains which is at 50–60 km/h. KTMB held a launch party for the new trains for 11 April 2021, inaugurating DMU service between Tumpat, Gua Musang and

Kuala Lipis Kuala Lipis ( ms, كوالا ليڤيس, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000. History Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British arrived in ...

. From 21 February 2022, the trains were fully utilised on the east coast line with the opening of shuttle timuran 35up/38dn from

Gemas Gemas (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Gomeh'') is a small town and a mukim in Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, near the Negeri Sembilan-Johor state border. It is situated 101 km northeast of Seremban, the state capital city, and 30 km no ...

References

{{Rail transport in Malaysia, state=collapsed Multiple units of Malaysia Keretapi Tanah Melayu Train-related introductions in 2018 CRRC multiple units