KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) is offering free rides to Klang Valley KTM Komuter passengers on February 10 and 11 in conjunction with Thaipusam, which falls on February 11.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the free rides would be available from midnight on February 10 to 11.59pm on February 11, using the check-out scanning mechanism at the autogates.
He said additional KTM Komuter services would operate around the clock for four days from February 9 to 12 and the Port Klang-Tanjung Malim-Port Klang route would operate on a full travel schedule throughout the celebration.
“This initiative is aimed at meeting passenger demand, particularly Hindu devotees, tourists, and members of the public who wish to experience the uniqueness of the Thaipusam celebration at Batu Caves.
“We expect nearly 500,000 passengers to benefit from this service, marking a 10 per cent increase from last year, with peak travel expected on February 11,” he told a press conference at the Batu Caves KTM Station here today.
Elaborating, Loke said the additional services over the four days and three nights would involve 494 trips, covering 33 services for the Batu Caves-Pulau Sebang-Batu Caves route, 45 services for the Batu Caves-Port Klang-Batu Caves route, and 28 services for the KL Sentral-Batu Caves-KL Sentral route.
It will also include six services for the Batu Caves-Bangi-Batu Caves route as well as three services each for the Batu Caves-Sentul route and the Batu Caves-Subang Jaya route.
“The additional train services will begin after the last train each day, with service times starting as early as 9.55pm for the route from Pulau Sebang to Batu Caves and 9.30pm for the Port Klang to Batu Caves route,” he said.
For passengers from KL Sentral, the additional train services will be interspersed between existing services starting from 11am, improving frequency to every 30 minutes, compared to the usual hourly service on regular days, he said.
Meanwhile, Loke announced that Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, through RapidKL and RapidPenang, would provide free shuttles at designated locations on February 10 and 11.
Loke added that 30 RapidKL buses would be provided from the Pasar Seni hub, LRT Gombak, and MRT Kampung Batu to Batu Caves, with a frequency of every 10 minutes, while RapidPenang would provide 12 buses every 20 to 60 minutes from the ferry service jetty to Adventist.
Additionally, the Penang Port Commission and Penang Port Sdn Bhd will offer 24-hour free ferries on February 10 and 11, with extended service until 2.30am on February 12.
He also said BAS.MY would provide additional free services in Johor Bahru, Seremban, and Ipoh to help Hindu devotees travel to nearby temples for the celebration.
— Bernama
