Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the additional services would assist the movement of approximately 2.5 million Hindu devotees and tourists heading to Batu Caves, one of the primary locations for Thaipusam celebrations in Malaysia.
The free services will be available from midnight on Jan 31 (Saturday) until 11.59 pm on Feb 1 (Sunday), with an Automatic Gate Control (AGC) system for checkout scanning.
“This initiative is expected to cost RM1 million. However, we aim to ensure a smooth experience for passengers and minimise congestion, especially with the expected high usage of Komuter services,” Loke told a press conference at KL Sentral here today.
KTMB will operate 609 trips over this period, an increase of 23 per cent compared to last year. These trips will cover the Batu Caves–Pulau Sebang, Batu Caves–Port Klang, and Tanjong Malim–KL Sentral routes.
The services will include 302 trips for the Batu Caves–Pulau Sebang–Batu Caves route, 165 trips for the Batu Caves–Port Klang–Batu Caves route, and 142 trips for the Tanjong Malim–KL Sentral–Tanjong Malim route (with trains connecting to KL Sentral)
In addition, 28 KTMB stations will operate 24 hours a day to manage passenger flow and assist vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and children.
From Jan 29 to Feb 3, KTMB will also provide eight additional Electric Train Service (ETS) trips, covering routes such as JB Sentral-Butterworth-JB Sentral, JB Sentral-KL Sentral-JB Sentral, KL Sentral-Ipoh-KL Sentral, and KL Sentral-Butterworth-KL Sentral. A total of 10,080 tickets will be available for these services.
Meanwhile, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, operating Rapid KL and Rapid Penang, will offer free shuttle bus services in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. In Penang, a 53-hour free ferry service will run starting on Jan 31.
“In Kuala Lumpur, 30 buses will operate from Pasar Seni, Gombak LRT, and Kampung Batu MRT to Batu Caves every 10 minutes. In Penang, 12 free shuttle buses will operate from the ferry terminal to Adventist, according to the ferry schedule. Free ferry services will also be available in Penang from Jan 31 to Feb 2,” Loke added.
Furthermore, BAS.MY will offer additional free bus services in Johor Bahru, Seremban, Ipoh, Kota Setar, and Sungai Petani. A total of 169 buses will be deployed to key Thaipusam locations.
Loke also highlighted that safety would be a priority, with additional staff, auxiliary police, and medical teams stationed at Batu Caves Station throughout the period.– BERNAMA
