Kuala Lumpur, 25 November 2014 – Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd. (ERL) signed an agreement with Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. Ltd. (CRC) on the purchase of six additional new trains to cater to the ridership growth of both KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit services.

Signing the agreement was ERL Executive Chairman YBhg Tan Sri Mohd. Nadzmi Mohd. Salleh and Mr Wang Run, the Chairman of CRC. This momentous event was witnessed by the Honourable Minister of Transport, YB Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai.

Tan Sri Mohd. Nadzmi in his speech said, “With the opening of the new low-cost carrier terminal in KLIA2 in May this year, our total ridership has grown by 40% to-date compared to the same period last year. The fast 33-minute journey between KLIA2 and KL Sentral Station on the KLIA Ekspres at the same one-way fare of RM35 has made it the preferred choice for air travellers.”

“The growth of key townships along our rail corridor has also been a contributing factor as we see more and more people opting to commute by KLIA Transit to work. With the increased load factor, there are certainly a lot of new challenges and business potentials for ERL.

Tan Sri Mohd. Nadzmi also said that CRC was selected to supply the new trains in view of the company’s excellent track record, experience and proven ability to provide trains that met ERL’s requirements and specifications and most importantly the trains will be compatible with ERL’s current rail system. He added that ERL was fortunate to have the vision to have chosen an open system, and that foresight of using the standard gauge track allowed ERL to select any rolling stock from anywhere in the world. Hence, today, ERL could select the very best trains from manufacturers in China to run on its tracks.

Out of the six trains purchased from CRC, two trains will be allocated for KLIA Ekspres and the remaining four will be for KLIA Transit. Each train set will have four cars and will operate at a cruising speed of 160 kilometres per hour. The trains are expected to be progressively delivered to ERL starting from May 2016. All trains will be operated and maintained by ERL’s skilled operations and maintenance subsidiary, ERL Maintenance Support Sdn Bhd (E-MAS).

Meanwhile, Dato’ Sri Liow in his speech said, “I am pleased to see that since its inception, ERL has consistently delivered dependable service of the highest standards. ERL did not just introduce cutting-edge technology and infrastructure; much more importantly, it introduced a new mindset which its people have applied with success, and values which we as a nation must learn to internalise, such as punctuality, speed, efficiency and dependability.” He also commended ERL on its use of open standards as it promotes an open infrastructure and systems, which in turn promote openness and improves connectivity.

The Minister added that as Malaysia’s population is expected to hit 35 million by the year 2020, Malaysia will undergo greater urbanization in the upcoming years. Thus, the GTP Urban Public Transport National Key Results Area emphasises the need to raise public transport modal share in urban areas from the current 17% to 25% by 2015; and to 40% modal share by 2030.