KTM ETS Train

Recently I took an ETS train from KL Sentral to Batu Gajah. The ETS train pretty much serve the city of Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur-Seremban.

This is probably the best train ride one can get in Malaysia. Its arrival and departure time is so punctual that I thought I was taking a Swiss rail.

ETS train basically has 3 types of schedule (Platinum, Gold and Silver). The difference between these 3 types of train is the stations in which they stop. The Platinum train serve only KL Sentral, KL (Old Railway Station) and Ipoh which made the journey slightly below 2 hours. The Gold train on the other hand make 9 stops from KL Sentral en route to Ipoh while the Silver train stops at all the train stations en route.

Once purchasing the ticket, one will need to know which coach they will be seating as indicated in the ticket. The train platform will have the coach letter on it so passengers can stand in the correct position and board the train quickly as it arrives.

The ETS trains are all manufactured in 2009 by Korean Hyundai Rotem.

The coach is clean, spacious and comfortable. All the coaches are equipped with overhead luggage racks for easy luggage stowage.

The staffs here are neat and friendly. I kind of like their uniform attire as it reflect well on the company. F&B Bar is also available onboard, usually located at Coach C. However, the train staff will still walk around and taking orders from the passengers.

The LED TV mounted in front of each coach will show the time and the train speed. I noted the highest speed the train achieved in my recent ride was 152km/h

Even the toilet onboard impressed me. It is very clean and comfortable to use. It also has a dedicated toilet for the disable.

I arrived Batu Gajah from KL Sentral slightly over 2 hours onboard the Gold Train (RM34) and I definitely fancy another ride on this train in the future

Putra Card

The current monthly pass introduced by Nadi Putra will be phased out in March 2011 and be replaced with a brand new travel card, known as Putra Card.

Putra Card applied the same concept as the Touch n Go card used in the Klang Valley. It is primarily aim at frequent user of the Nadi Putra bus commuting various places around Putrajaya.

The card validity will be based on the available days left on the card, meaning that the owner of the card have limitless travel on that particular day. One will have an option to top up with RM20 for 35 days (student RM10) or RM10 for (student RM 5) 17 days.

To use the card, just put the card on the scanner beside the bus driver and a receipt will be printed out with the number of available days printed on it.

It's still a bit vague as to where the top up machines will be located around Putrajaya as the management itself fail to clarify on this issue.

The Putra Card has a personalized touch to it. It has the owner's photo, name and identification number. If the owner lose the card, the available days left on the lost card can be transferred to the replacement card (there will be a penalty of RM15 for the replacement card).

The downside of applying Putra Card is one need to fill up a form (photo is compulsory) and submit the form at Nadi Putra Depot at Precinct 9. It will take 3 working days to get the card ready and one can opt to collect it at the Depot or Putrajaya Sentral Station.

I been using Nadi Putra bus for a year now and I actually still keep all their previous monthly passes. Kudos to Nadi Putra for the many improvements done around Putrajaya with a clear objective of encouraging the people to use the public transport system here. The Putra Card is another one of their innovation product and I am looking forward to see more coming in the near future.

Getting to LCCT via KLIA Transit

Last week I try using the KLIA Transit to the LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) for the very first time from Putrajaya station. The ticket cost RM 5.50 for one way from here. Unfortunately, they don't sell return ticket from the ticket booth here. Return ticket can only be purchased from KL Sentral (RM22).

Basically, there are 2 tickets which will be issued. One for the train and the other one is for the bus.

Always make sure you go to the right platform to take the train. It is a sad thing that all the train stations for KLIA Transit are not air conditioned. However, the stations for the KLIA direct service in KL Sentral and KLIA are air conditioned.

The interior of the train. Comfortable and clean as usual. This is definitely the best train ride in Malaysia.

The journey to Salak Tinggi station from Putrajaya station is approximately 8 minutes only.

The stairways at the Salak Tinggi station.

Just follow the signboard to reach the connecting bus. The bus is waiting at the main entrance of this station.

The city liner bus is basically already there when the passenger arrived at the Salak Tinggi station. Hence, no time wastage here. Nice co-ordination between the bus with the train company to ensure the passengers will not miss their flight.

The bus is quite spacious and comfortable. It does not have a luggage compartment and passengers just need to lug their luggage into it. I don't find this convenient if there are a lot of people onboard the bus.

The journey takes about 20 minutes to reach the LCCT. Traffic is mostly smooth and one can catch a glimpse of air crafts taking off.

In a nutshell, it took about 30 minutes from Putrajaya station to LCCT and about 50 minutes from KL Sentral. Ticket from KL Sentral cost RM12.50 and Bandar Tasik Selatan at RM10.80 for one way.

To get back, purchase the ticket from the ticketing counter from the baggage claim concourse inside the domestic arrival hall. Head to bay 6 where the bus is waiting. The bus departs every 30 minutes.

Salak Tinggi station has a unique roof shape. It looks like a shell of a snail or some sort.

Again, get to the right platform while in the station for the intended journey.

When the bus arrived at the station, there is still a window period of 15 minutes before the next train arrive. There is free porter service to bring the heavy luggage to the train platform.

For those who plan to go to KL from LCCT, I would not recommend using KLIA Transit as there are cheaper options such as bus where the fare is RM8-9 only. The changing from the bus to the train can be quite troublesome too. There has been proposal to extend this rail service to LCCT but I guess the lack of fund kind of hamper it.

This service is only more viable for those staying in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Bandar Tasik Selatan.

Train Ride: Ipoh-KL

I decided to take a train from Ipoh-KL on my way back. I took a few KTM trains in the past and the rides had been satisfactory in the past. The estimated journey time from Ipoh to KL is about 3 hours. Travel between KL-Ipoh is much more convenient now as there are frequent train service between these 2 cities.

This is how the superior class (RM22) coach looks like. Quite comfortable with large overhead compartment for luggage.

Ipoh Railway Train Station has 2 platforms. The one departing for KL will leave at Platform 1 (In the direction of Batu Gajah)

The train been flagged of by the staff. Pretty punctual. Left Ipoh around 1325 as stipulated in the ticket.

Batu Gajah Train Station. I notice almost all the small towns train stations along the way had been upgraded with this type of architecture/design. There are hardly anything to differentiate them.

This could be the double track rail I heard about. Photo was taken after leaving Batu Gajah train station.

It's amazing how the landscape changed along the way. One of the advantages of taking a train rather than a bus is one can enjoy the scenery and get a feel of the small towns and villages the train passed by.

The toilets onboard are decently clean. One can always head to the loo anytime as compare to the bus ride.

I believe this is was taken at Kepong

The sight of Legend Hotel, Dynasty Hotel and the UMNO building are the indications that the train is approaching KL city centre. The train will make a brief stop at KL old railway station for passengers to disembark before terminating at KL Sentral Station.

Even though train ride do not suffer from traffic jam, we still arrived late than the estimated time of 1617. Somehow, the train kind of freeze just outside the KL Sentral Station for about 20-30 minutes

Star Shuttle: LCCT Sepang-Ipoh

This is the first time I use Star Shuttle bus to Ipoh from the LCCT Sepang. The bus operated from platform 5 of the crowded and noisy bus stop beside the LCCT terminal.

The ticket is prized at RM42 for one way. The travelling distance between LCCT Sepang and Ipoh is about 250km, which will roughly translated to about 3 hours drive.

There is no seat number and it is basically a free seating arrangement in the bus. The leg area is spacious (much better than the Air Asia's Airbus A320 legroom) and the air conditioner is at the right temperature.

Passenger will be given a bottle of drinking water while onboard. Unfortunately, the retractable table in front of me was filthy and I am in no mood to use it.

The bus ought to be punctual. It only departed at 1230 against the original schedule at 1200.

In the beginning of the journey, one can see the LCCT Sepang area and the nearby Tune Hotel

Passing through the KLIA runway and aircraft hangar. It has been a long time since I last used KLIA. I like the facilities and environment here.

There are a lot of giant signboards and housing estates along the federal highway

Shah Alam Stadium

The bus will make a short stop about 90 minutes after leaving the airport for the passengers to visit the loo.

The sight of the hills and mountains are the indication that we are getting closer to Ipoh town.

I think we passed through at least 3 cave temples when approaching Ipoh. They could be Perak Tong, Sam Poh Tong and Kek Lok Tong. I was amazed by the uniqueness of the temples and they definitely worth a visit.

The bus will stop at Ipoh main bus terminal at Medan Gopeng, about 5km from Ipoh old town.

However, the bus will make its final stop at its company headquarter at Medan Bercham. There is less traffic here but there is also no taxi in sight around this area.

I been told there is another bus company called YoYo which offer more comfortable ride and facility.