JOHOR BAHRU: The Gemas-Johor Bahru Electric Double Tracking Project (PLBEGJB) is a huge surge in the national rail transport system, especially for the south, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said.

He added that the project will complete the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) Electric Double Tracking Project in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia that connects Johor Bahru to Padang Besar, Perlis.

“This project is part of the infrastructure transformation in Johor. May this service bring a big benefit to the people and the state and make us more competitive and developed,” he posted on Facebook today.

He also said that the Gemas-Johor Bahru electric train service (ETS) has started in Segamat on Saturday, while the station in Labis will begin in April followed by Kluang the following month and then Johor Bahru in September this year.

“With the double tracks, the journey from KL Sentral to JB Sentral will only take 3 hours and 30 minutes, making it a faster, comfortable and efficient option. The 192-kilometre track crosses Segamat, Kluang, Kulai and Johor Bahru before ending at JB Sentral.

“With a speed of up to 160 km/h, this electric train can make 22 trips a day with 346 seats per train,” he said.

KTMB group chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin was reported to have said on Saturday that the Gemas-Johor Bahru ETS made its first trip from Segamat Station to Padang Besar at 7.55 am.