Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said KTM Komuter services to Batu Caves would run 24 hours a day from Jan 30 to Feb 2 to accommodate the surge of devotees travelling to the Hindu pilgrimage site for Thaipusam.
“This year, KTM Komuter will operate around the clock with a total of 609 trips, an increase of 23% compared with last year,” Loke said in a press conference at KL Sentral.
He added that up to 2.5 million passengers were expected to use KTMB services during this period.
To further ease congestion, KTMB will offer free KTM Komuter rides in the Klang Valley from Jan 31 to Feb 1, when passenger volume is projected to reach 450,000.
“We know that many devotees begin travelling to Batu Caves one or two days before Thaipusam. Therefore, we are offering free fares for two days. The cost of providing this service will be nearly RM1 million,” he said.
Loke also said 216 additional trips would be deployed specifically for Batu Caves, more than double the usual daily service, with trains operating every 30 minutes from KL Sentral.
A total of 28 KTM stations will operate 24 hours a day, supported by 250 KTMB personnel, auxiliary police and on-site medical teams from Selayang Hospital, to ensure passenger safety and smooth operations.
Loke said eight additional ETS trips would also be introduced from Jan 29 to Feb 3 in conjunction with Thaipusam, with 10,080 tickets to be made available from Jan 26.
Looking ahead, he said KTMB would likewise increase ETS capacity for Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri due to strong ticket demand.
“For Chinese New Year, additional ETS services will run from Feb 13 to Feb 22, with up to 52 trips per day and 26,460 tickets offered,” he said.
For Hari Raya Aidilfitri, he said 44% of ETS tickets had already been sold, prompting KTMB to introduce additional services from March 13 to March 29, offering a total of 36,540 tickets.
He urged passengers to plan their journeys early and take full advantage of public transport options during the festive period to avoid congestion.