7 March 2014
EXPRESS Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) is buying four new sets of trains in anticipation of higher passenger traffic with the opening of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) on May 2.
ERL chief executive officer Noormah Mohd Noor said the company is currently in talks with several train suppliers from Europe and China and a deal is expected by year-end.
Noormah, however, did not confirm the value of the potential deal nor the type of trains.
"The new trains will be purchased to cater to our future growth. We currently have enough trains to service both KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) and klia2," she told reporters at ERL’s 50 Millionth Passenger Celebration, here, yesterday.
ERL currently has 12 sets of trains.
Business Times reported last year that YTL Corp Bhd (YTL), which owns 50 per cent of ERL, was in talks with Spanish manufacturers to buy up to four set of trains worth RM150 million.
ERL has a 30-year concession to operate the KLIA Express and KLIA Transit between KL Sentral in Brickfields and KLIA.
Meanwhile, ERL expects some 40 per cent jump in its ridership as soon as klia2 opens.
The increase is expected to translate into some 24,000 passengers a day compared with last year’s 17,600.
"We expect the ridership increase to contribute about 30 per cent to revenue next year," Noormah said, adding that the 2.2km line extension from KLIA to klia2 had been completed last year.
One-way tickets from KL Sentral to klia2 will cost RM35, which is the same as the fare to KLIA. The fare from KLIA to klia2 and vice versa will be RM2.
Source: www.nst.com.my
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