IT was a trip that left many happy during the tour of the Express Rail Link (ERL) depot at Salak Tinggi, in Sepang recently.
About 40 people from the Asso-ciation for the Improvement of Mass-Transit (Transit), KTM Railway Fan Club and Singapore Railway Forum got an inside view on the running of a train service.
The members were given a briefing of ERL with its Transit and Express trains, operations, technical and maintenance aspects.
The Express is a non-stop train service to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Kuala Lumpur Sentral while the Transit makes intermediate stops at Bandar Tasik Selatan, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Salak Tinggi.
Key component: Mohd Jamil (left) showing the train’s gearbox. Cruising at a top speed of 160 kmh, the lifespan of the train is 30 years. At the depot, the trains are maintained regularly.
The ERL is operated and maintained by the ERL Maintenance Support Sdn Bhd or E-Mas.
During the tour, E-Mas Rolling Stock manager Mohd Jamil Alias explained how the trains were maintained according to the manual.
He said they had their own test bench, where they undergo maintenance.
Transit adviser Moaz Yusof Ahmad said the tour was a great way for people to see and learn more about the train service.
Student Aloysius Tam, 19, from Sandakan was thrilled to get a first hand view of the whole operation.
“Usually I would only be able to look at these things on Youtube but this was a rare view of the actual thing.
“I also got to see how they wash the trains using the new system,” he said.
He had also learnt about signalling and safety aspects of the trains.
Librarian Suhirman Mahmood, 30, from Singapore found the tour very informative.
He said the various components and innovation improved the quality of the maintenance as well as reduce operation costs.
For PhD student Nordiana Mohd Mahudin, 31, the tour provided her with some research information for her thesis.
She found the tour interesting but felt it was more on the mechanical side.
“I wish there was more information on the technical and real time operational aspects,” she said.
At present the ridership for the Express trains is 5,000 a day while the Transit has 8,000.
The ERL is expected to pick up its ridership after the completion of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal with track extension.
For details on the tour or ERL log on to www.kliaekspres.com.
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