KTM to buy 4 used trains from Spain

By Sharen Kaur (Published in NST on October 19 2009)

KERETAPI Melayu Bhd (KTMB) plans to buy four second-hand two-car diesel multiple units (DMUs) from Spain for RM28 million.

The national railway company is believed to have opted for second-hand DMUs due to cash constraints.

A DMU is a multiple-unit train comprising multiple carriages powered by one or more onboard diesel engines.

The DMUs, which have been in operation for the past 30 years, are expected to be delivered in two months and be used as a stop-game measure to solve KTM's current commuter woes.

However, industry sources said KTMB should be buying new three-car electrical multiple units (EMUs) to be efficient, instead of second-hand DMUs.

An EMU is a multiple unit train consisting many carriages and powered by electricity. A new three-car EMU set costs RM18 million to RM20 million.

"More cost would be incurred to refurbish the DMUs after a few years in service," the source said.

The source added that for KTMB to be more productive, it should have 112 three-car EMUs, running on a 10-minute interval.

The company currently has 66 EMUs, including 16 which are beyond repairs, either because they have aged or were involved in accidents.

KTMB is overhauling the remaining 50 EMUs at an estimated cost of RM400 million to RM500 million.

It has overhauled 20 EMUs, which are in operation now. Another five EMUs are being refurbished and will be ready by the middle of next year.

KTMB president Dr Aminuddin Adnan told Business Times it is buying the DMUs to service the KTM commuter routes in the Klang Valley and later deploy them to high demand areas in the east coast.

"We are expanding our fleet of trains to improve our intercity, freight and commuter business. Currently, demand is higher than capacity," Aminuddin said.

He said KTMB's current ridership per day is 100,000, but this could increase by more than 15 to 20 per cent wi"h more trains running.

"We have customers, like YTL Cement and Lafarge Cement, increasing their business with us. So we do need trains. Second-hand trains are not only cheaper, they can also be delivered faster," he said.

"While we have government support, we are trying to expand first within our scope," Aminuddin said.

Aminuddin said by mid-2010, KTMB will have 34 trains running, from 20 EMUs currently.

This would include the five DMUs and five EMUs that are under refurbishment.