ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – The new Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrified Double Tracking Project (Gemas-JB EDTP), expected to cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru in half once it connects with the existing Padang Besar-Gemas line, has missed another deadline.
Efforts to progressively extend the line – which starts at the Malaysia-Thailand border in Padang Besar and heads south through Gemas – have encountered setbacks in Johor’s Segamat district.
Segamat is slated to be the first of a new 11-stop stretch covering major districts in the southernmost state – including Kluang and Kulai – and terminating in Johor Bahru.
The electric train service (ETS) on the 26 kilometres (km) stretch from Gemas to Segamat was supposed to commence in October, having already been delayed in July, but missed the deadline for the second time.
Once launched, the stretch would be the first part of the Gemas-JB EDTP, estimated to cost MYR9.5 billion (SGD2.8 billion).
The most recent delay is due to issues with the electricity supply for running the trains, The Straits Times reported.
One official source directly involved in the project said the team is working on the final phase of testing the electrification of the train, and as a result missed the October deadline.
“These tests are essential and must pass to ensure safety during train operations,” added the source, on condition of anonymity, as he is not cleared to speak to the media. The source said train service in the Gemas-Segamat stretch is now expected to start after mid-November.
YTL Construction and joint venture partner SIPP Rail are building the Gemas-JB link.
Another government source told ST that the current delay is due to YTL Construction’s inability to complete the technical aspects of the electric feeder line at Segamat’s Genuang Railway Station, which has prevented the overhead line from being energised. “This has prevented the train service from venturing further south in the state of Johor,” noted the source.
A feeder line typically carries high-voltage electricity from the main power supply to feeder stations. At these stations, the voltage is stepped down before it is delivered to the railway’s overhead system, which directly supplies the electric trains.
While the laying of tracks on the Gemas-JB stretch is 95 per cent complete, according to the source, other works that are still ongoing involve the testing of the electrification of the trains.
