ERL

Kuala Lumpur Rail Transit System
[1] KL Sentral-KLIA (Express)
Parent Company	Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd.
Operation	Express Rail
Trainset	Desiro ET 425 M EMUElectrical Multiple Unit 4 Carriage
No. of trains	8
Stops	2
Operation Start	14 April 2002
Operating Hours	05.00-00.00
Track Gauge	1,435mm
Ticketing System	TnG - NoStored Value - Yes Travel pass - Yes (monthly)
Top Speed	176km/h
System Length	57km
Website	www.kliaekspres.com

The Express Rail Link is a standard gauge and electrified airport rail link in Malaysia that connects theKuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) with the Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral) transportation hub, 57 kilometres apart. The line is utilised by two different train services operated by Express Rail Link Sendirian Berhad:

• KLIA Ekspres, an express train service directly from the KLIA to KL Sentral, launched on April 14, 2002.
• KLIA Transit, a commuter train service with three additional stops between the KLIA and KL Sentral, launched on June 1, 2002.

Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd. (ERL) is a joint venture company between YTL Corporation Bhd., Lembaga Tabung Haji and Trisilco Equity Sdn. Bhd. with each partner holding 50%, 40% and 10% of the company respectively. On the 25'th of August 1997, the Malaysian government presented the company with a 30 year concession to finance, build, maintain and control the operations of the railway.

Construction began in May 1997 and was completed 5 years later. It was then handed over to SYZ consortium, a joint relations consortium between German and Malaysian companies consisting of Siemens AG, Siemens Electric Engineering Sdn. Bhd and Syarikat Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay Sdn. Bhd (SPYTL), a wholly owned subsidiary of YTL Corporation Bhd.

ERL Maintenance and Support was set up in 1999 and is responsible for the operations and maintenance of trains owned by ERL. The company was initially a joint venture between Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd. and Siemens AG, but since June 2005 it has been wholly owned by Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd.

The 1997 financial crisis that hit Asia caused a brief setback to the project but due to strong governmental support, the project went on to completion. The project raked up a cost of RM2.4 billion which was financed through equity mergers (RM500 million), loans from Development and Infrastructure Bank of Malaysia (RM940 million) and the remainder through import credit from four German financial institutions.

Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd. achieved profits in 2003 after only a year of operations.

Both the KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit use a total of 12 four-car Desiro ET 425 M electrical multiple unit (EMU) trainsets by Siemens AG:

• 8 trains serve the KLIA Ekspres.
• 4 trains serve the KLIA Transit.

The trains run at a maximum commercial speed at 160 km/h, the fastest speed for rail travel in Malaysia.

Accidents

On August 24, 2010, Express Rail Link suffered their first reported accident in which 3 passengers were injured. Two ERL trains collided at Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Of the trains involved one of them was about to depart at 9.45pm for Kuala Lumpur International Airport while the other train, which was empty, rammed into its rear.

Future

The operator is proposing line extension towards the Low Cost Carrier terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Approval for such line has yet to be granted by the government. The operator was also extending the line to a proposed new airport near KLIA which is called KLIA East @ Labu. The Labu Airport extension is now cancelled as the LCCT will be built adjacent to the KLIA main terminal.

ERL operator YTL has proposed extending the line all the way to Singapore and as of June 2007, the Malaysian Government said the feasibility of the proposal was still being studied. The RM8 billion project would slash rail travel time from more than 8 hours to about 90 minutes.

Gallery

• [2]

  KLIA Ekspres on the Express Rail Link.

• [3]

  The Putrajaya/Cyberjaya ERL Station platform at night.

• [4]

  KLIA express at Salak Tinggi depot.

• [5]

  KLIA Ekspres route map.

• [6]

  KLIA Ekspres at Bandar Tasik Selatan station.