Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Plan for 2km tracks from KLIA to new low-cost terminal

EXPRESS Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERLSB) plans to lay 2km of railway tracks from the KL International Airport (KLIA) to the new permanent low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Sepang to extend its rail services, its chief says.

ERLSB, majority controlled by YTL Corp Bhd, holds a 30-year concession to operate the KLIA Express and KLIA Transit rail services from KL Sentral in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, to KLIA.

Chief executive officer Noormah Mohd Noor said the extension of its rail services to the new permanent LCCT will boost passenger traffic by some 15 per cent to 4.2 million from 2011.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), the main contractor for the new permanent LCCT, is targeting to complete the construction by the third quarter of 2011 at a cost of RM2 billion.
"We are in talks with MAHB and have submitted a proposal to them a few months ago to extend the rail line. We are fine-tuning the plan and the cost to lay the tracks," Noormah told Business Times.

ERLSB has 12 electric high-speed train sets for the KLIA Express, which runs from KL Sentral to KLIA in 28 minutes, and KLIA Transit, which stops at Bandar Tasek Selatan, Putrajaya and Salak Tinggi before heading to the airport in 35 minutes.

The KLIA Express and KLIA Transit carry a combine 3.7 million passengers a year currently.

The new LCCT terminal, which will be located to the west of the main KLIA terminal building with a distance of 1.5km, will be able to accommodate 30 million passengers per annum, with capacity for expansion of up to 45 million passengers a year.

Noormah said the company will launch on September 15 a temporary bus shuttle service from Salak Tinggi to the existing LCCT to promote its KLIA Transit service, while the new permanent LCCT is under construction.

"We are doing this to capture the LCCT market, which will be a new growth area for us," she said.

Noormah also said that ERLSB is offering VIP services, group discounts and giving one complimentary trip for every 10 trips bought up front.

The company has tied up with Amadeus, the world's biggest processor of travel bookings with a 29.2 per cent market share, to help sell its KLIA Express tickets.



Source : Business Times
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