KTM West Coast Line

KTM West Coast Line
Legend
Thai Railway Thailand Malaysia border Padang Besar 157.8 Padang Besar yard Padang Besar depot Bukit Ketri 138.8 Arau 128.4 Perlis Kedah border Kodiang 120.3 Anak Bukit yard Anak Bukit 97.8 Alor Setar 89.6 Tokai Yard 79.1 Kobah 72.0 Gurun 54.7 Sungai Petani yard Sungai Petani 33.3 Kedah Pulau Pinang border Sungai Muda Bridge Tasek Gelugor 15.3 Bukit Mertajam Junction Bukit Mertajam 10.2 Bukit Mertajam depot Simpang Ampat 20.6 Bukit Tengah depot Nibong Tebal 34.0 Bukit Tengah 7.0 Pulau Pinang Perak border Prai Yard Parit Buntar 40.3 Perai River Swing Bridge Parit Buntar yard Butterworth 0.0 x20px Bagan Serai 50.7 North Butterworth Container Terminal Bukit Merah 63.7 Bukit Merah Lake Railway Bridge Kamunting 89.0 Taiping 94.3 Larut Tunnel Bukit Berapit Tunnel Padang Rengas 113.8 Kuala Kangsar 122.5 Sungai Siput 143.7 Kanthan Freight Terminal Chemor 155.3 Tasek 166.9 171.0 Ipoh 181.0 Falim Depot Lahat 187.5 Batu Gajah 195.0 Batu Gajah Central Depot 197.0 Kota Bharu 201.0 Kampar 218.0 Tapah Road 233.5 Sungkai 257.5 Slim River 281.7 Behrang 293.0 Tanjung Malim 300.5 Perak Selangor border Kuala Kubu Bharu 332.6 Rasa 333.4 Batang Kali 335.7 Serendah 347.1 Serendah Freight Terminal Rawang EMU Depot Batu Caves 355.5 Rawang Selangor Kuala Lumpur border Kuang Taman Wahyu  9 Sungai Buloh Kampung Batu Kepong Sentral Batu Cantonment Selangor Kuala Lumpur border Sentul EMU Depot Kepong Segambut Sentul Works (Depot) ¦ Sentul Batu Junction Sungai Gombak  3  4  Putra PWTC Sultan Ismail Bank Negara Bandaraya  3  4   9   5  Pasar Seni Kuala Lumpur Station  8  Kuala Lumpur Sentral  9  x20px Bangsar Bangsar Junction (Port Swettenham Junction)  12  Abdullah Hukum Eco City(Future)  5   12  Angkasapuri Mid Valley 7  Pantai Dalam Seputeh Petaling Salak Selatan Kuala Lumpur Selangor border  4  Jalan Templer Bandar Tasik Selatan Station Kampung Dato Harun  4   7  Seri Setia Kuala Lumpur Selangor border Setia Jaya Serdang  5  Subang Jaya x20px Kajang  9   5  x20px (Future)Glenmarie Halt Batu Tiga (Future)Sri Subang Halt Shah Alam (Rehabilitation)Subang Skypark Padang Jawa Bukit Badak UKM Klang Depot Bangi Klang Selangor Negeri Sembilan border Teluk Pulai Batang Benar Teluk Gadong Nilai Kampung Raja Uda Labu Tiroi Jalan Kastam yard ¦ Jalan Kastam Seremban EMU Depot Seremban Northport x20px x20px to Port Dickson Port Klang EMU Depot depot File:BSicon lDSTc2.svg Senawang Port Klang Sungai Gadut Selat Lumut Bridge Rembau Pulau Indah yard Negeri Sembilan Melaka border Westports x20px Pulau Sebang/Tampin Batang Melaka Melaka Negeri Sembilan border East Coast Line Gemas Negeri Sembilan Johor border Segamat Genuang Labis Bekok Paloh Kluang Mengkibol Rengam Layang-Layang Kulai Skudai Junction Skudai Freight Station Kempas Baru Tanjung Pelepas Freight Station Pasir Gudang Port Port of Tanjung Pelepas Johor Bahru Sentral Malaysia Singapore border Johor Causeway Woodlands Train Checkpoint line closed 1 July 2011 ↓ Bukit Timah Tanjong Pagar yard Tanjong Pagar

The West Coast 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. It is called the West Coast line because it serves the West Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia.

The 1,151 kilometer line is busier compared to the East Coast Line as the West Coast Line handles a variety of passenger train services such as the various KTM Intercity services, the International Express and the KTM Komuter in the Klang Valley, as well as freight trains.

The major stations on the line include KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth railway station in Butterworth, Penang and JB Sentral in the south.

Line definition

The West Coast Line consists on the main trunk line from Padang Besar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore.

It also consists of several branch lines from this trunk, namely:

• Bukit Mertajam Junction to Butterworth
• Batu Junction to Batu Caves
• Port Klang Junction to Westport, with further branch lines:
  • Subang Jaya to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (Subang) Airport
  • Port Klang to Northport
  • Pulau Indah to various Wesport shipping terminals
• Skudai Junction to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas
• Kempas to Pasir Gudang

Branch lines where the tracks exist but are not used for any service are:

• Tapah Road to Teluk Intan (abandoned and not connected to the main line)
• Seremban to Port Dickson

The West Coast Line connects with the State Railway of Thailand at Padang Besar, while the East Coast Line branches off at Gemas.

Infrastructure

Double-tracking and Electrification

The main trunk of the West Coast Line is double-tracked and electrified from Padang Besar to Gemas. This followed the completion of both the Ipoh-Padang Besar Double-Tracking and Electrification Project, and the Seremban-Gemas Double-Tracking and Electrification Project in 2014.

In addition to the main line, the following branch lines are also double-tracked and electrified:

• Bukit Mertajam Junction to Butterworth
• Batu Junction to Batu Caves
• Port Klang Junction to Port Klang only, with a single track continuing to Westport and the branch lines to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (Subang) Airport and Northport

The total length of the West Coast Line which is double-tracked and electrified is 759 km.

From Gemas to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, the West Coast Line is single track and not electrified. Loops at stations allow trains to pass.

The disused branch lines to Teluk Intan and Port Dickson are also single track and not electrified.

Services

The West Coast Line is served by a variety of train services:

• KTM Intercity
  • Tren Rakyat between Butterworth and JB Sentral
  • Tren Selatan between KL Sentral and JB Sentral
  • Tren Langkawi between KL Sentral and Hat Yai, Thailand, running along the West Coast Line between KL Sentral and Padang Besar
  • Tren Sutera between Ipoh and JB Sentral
  • Tren Timuran between Tumpat and JB Sentral, where trains run on the West Coast Line between Gemas and JB Sentral
• KTM ETS (administratively part of KTM Intercity)
  • Ipoh-KL Sentral ETS between KL Sentral and Ipoh
  • ETS Ekspres between KL Sentral and Padang Besar
  • ETS Transit between Ipoh and Padang Besar
• KTM Komuter
  • Seremban Line between Rawang and Sungai Gadut
  • Rawang-Tanjung Malim Shuttle between Rawang and Tanjung Malim
  • Port Klang Line between Batu Caves and Port Klang
  • Kamunting-Butterworth-Gurun Line between Kamunting and Gurun
  • Seremban-Tampin/Pulau Sebang-Gemas Line between Seremban and Gemas
• Shuttle train services operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu
  • Gemas-JB Sentral Shuttle between Gemas and JB Sentral
  • JB Sentral-Woodlands between JB Sentral and the Woodlands Train Checkpoint
• International Express between Butterworth and Bangkok's Hua Lamphong Railway Station, running along the West Coast Line between Butterworth and Padang Besar
• Eastern and Oriental Express luxury tourist train between Woodlands Train Checkpoint and Bangkok, running along the West Coast Line between Woodlands and Padang Besar

History

The West Coast Line was developed in stretches between 1885 with the opening of the Taiping-Port Weld Line, and 1932 when the line opened up to Tanjung Pagar, thus spanning the entire west coast of Peninsular Malaysia from Padang Besar on the Malaysia-Thai border to Singapore. The line began with the construction of branches linking coastal ports with inland tin mining areas before they were gradually linked up by the main truck line running through the interior of the West Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia.

The latest new lines to be built were the branch lines to West Port, North Port, Tanjung Pelepas, Pasir Gudang and the North Butterworth Container Terminal. The trunk line had also seen sections becoming disused, abandoned or even removed, with the latest being the closure and subsequent removal of the southernmost stretch of track between the Woodlands Train Checkpoint and Tanjung Pagar in 2011.

Projects

Gemas – Johor Bahru Electrification and Double-Tracking

After many years of announcements about the intention to upgrade the final stretch of single track of the West Coast Line, the Government began the public display exercise for the Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrification and Double-Tracking Project on 27 October 2015. The public display exercise, required for all development of new railways under Section 84 of Malaysia's Land Public Transport Act 2010, will run until 27 January 2016.

According to documents on display to the public, construction is expected to begin in 2016 and be completed in 2021.

The length of the line to be electrified and double-tracked is 197 km between Chainage 563.040 at Gemas dan Chainage 754.180 at Johor Bahru. The project includes the construction of 11 stations at Segamat, Genuang, Labis, Bekok, Paloh, Kluang, Mengkibol, Rengam, Layang-Layang, Kulai and Kempas Baru, and 3 future stations at Tenang, Chamek and Senai. The upgraded line is supposed to cater for at least 22 services daily involving KTM ETS, KTM Intercity and shuttle train services.

The documents displayed also stated that the electrification for the stretch will have the same specifications as that of the Seremban-Gemas stretch, name at 25kV AC 50 Hz single phase and supplied via an overhead catenary. Train operations for this stretch will be integrated with the Train Control Centres at KL Sentral and Gemas. The design speed for the tracks is 160 km/h.

On 11 December 2015, the Chinese company China Railway Construction Company (CRCC) has been awarded to built the Gemas – Johor Bahru Electrification and Double-Tracking project.