HIS MAJESTY the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim on Saturday officially launched the new Electric Train Service 3 (ETS3) for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), personally piloting the southern route service from Kuala Lumpur to Kluang.
The King arrived at Kuala Lumpur Station at 7.45am, where he was welcomed by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah, and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Following the special launch ceremony, Sultan Ibrahim took the driver’s seat of the ETS3 train, which is capable of speeds up to 140km/h, steering it southward to Kluang Station in Johor.
The journey took approximately three hours and 30 minutes, with the King accompanied in the cabin by Loke, Shamsul Azri, and Transport Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan.
Upon arrival in Kluang, His Majesty was scheduled to officiate the opening of the Laman Rel Mahkota, a 2.8-kilometre public park developed beneath the viaduct of the Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrified Double Tracking Project.
After the ceremony, the King was due to return to Kuala Lumpur aboard the same ETS3 train.
Sultan Ibrahim holds a unique distinction as the first reigning monarch in Malaysia to be certified with a Class 26 High-Powered Locomotive Driving Licence, awarded in 2010. He famously drove a train during the Johor Royal Tour (Kembara Mahkota Johor) that year.
In a remarkable feat at Gemas Station, Negeri Sembilan, the Sultan successfully performed a full turn table manoeuvre of an 86-tonne locomotive within 10 minutes — a historic achievement recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records, which also documented his 391.3-kilometre train-driving journey over three days.
Just this past Tuesday, the King piloted the ETS2 train from Kuala Lumpur to Rawang.
According to Loke, both sets of ETS3 trains — Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) types — for the southern line to Johor Bahru Sentral are undergoing final technical testing. If all proceeds smoothly, they are expected to enter service later this month. - August 23, 2025
