Keretapi Tanah Melayu

In 1948, the FMSR was renamed the Malayan Railways. The railways had been devastated by the Japanese invasion of Malaya, and efforts were taken to rebuild the two main lines, but many branch lines were abandoned in the process.

The MR began to modernise the equipment with the ordering of diesel locomotives and railcars to replace steam hauled services, and the first diesel locomotive entered service in 1957. The railcars entered service in 1960, initially on short haul services.[2] Rapid services were introduced later, cutting travel times from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur down to six hours, which was competitive at the time.[3] MR and later KTM continued ordering more diesel locomotives through the decades, rendering the old steam locomotives redundant. The last steam locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1974.

Malayan Railways also operated an air service from 1954 to 1958, known as Federation Air Service. The service was transferred to Malayan Airways in March 1958.[4]

The 1970s saw the closure of many branch lines, such as the Batu Arang branch in 1971 and the historic Taiping to Port Weld branch in 1972. The Port Dickson branch was converted to freight only operation in 1972, although seasonal passenger service did continue for a short while.[5] However, construction did continue for a new line to Subang Airport used to transport fuel, which opened in 1980.

Railbuses were introduced in the 1980s for short haul commuter services. They were deployed in the Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh, Ipoh to Butterworth, Gemas to Mentakab and Kulai to Singapore services.[5] On certain routes such as Kulai to Singapore, the railbuses were faster than conventional trains, and in this instance saved travel time of 15 minutes.[5] They lasted until the introduction of KTM Komuter in 1995, which took over commuter services in the Klang Valley.

KTM was corporatised in 1992, with all assets now under the ownership and management of the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC). The company runs as a private enterprise although owned and subsidised by the Malaysian government. There were attempts by private companies to take over the operations since then, but such proposals were rejected by the Malaysian government.[6]

The 1990s saw the start of another modernization programme. Proposals were made to electrify the West Coast line, which started with the Klang Valley area. Electric trains made their debut on 3 August 1995 with KTM Komuter, with services from Port Klang to Sentul and Rawang to Seremban. Under this programme, existing stations were renovated or rebuilt and new stations were built.

The programme was faced with delays throughout the 2000s, with the government postponing many electrification projects. However, from 2007 onwards there was a renewed effort to electrify the west coast line. The completion of such electrification projects from Padang Besar to Gemas to date has allowed the commencement of electrified intercity services in the form of ETS. As the projects were completed in stages, the KTM Komuter and KTM ETS services were expanded over the years to take advantage of the upgraded lines. The East Coast line, which had not seen upgrades for many years, will see upgrades in the form of rehabilitated track, new DMUs and rebuilt stations by 2021.

A KTM Intercity train in Singapore

The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) gauge network consists of two main lines and several branch lines.

The total network spans 1677 km. The total length of the network was 1,700 km, however due to the closure and subsequent removal of the section of tracks between Tanjong Pagar railway station and Woodlands Train Checkpoint, the network is now shorter.

The West Coast line is double tracked and electrified between Padang Besar and Gemas, along with all branch lines used for passenger service along this stretch. As part of the upgrades, all level crossings have been removed and modern signaling installed.

The stations along these line are a combination of heritage stations from the colonial era, such as Ipoh railway station and Kuala Lumpur railway station, and modern stations that were built when the line was double tracked, such as Taiping, Butterworth, Arau station.

The remainder of the West Coast main line from Gemas Station to Johor Bahru Sentral Station is still being in the process of being double tracked and electrified under the Gemas - Johor Bahru Electrified Double Track Project.

The East Coast line is single tracked. Having not seen much upgrades over the years, the line is considerably less modern than the upgraded sections of the West Coast line. Level crossings are still prevalent and the traditional token signaling system is still used. The stations along this line are older than smaller. Although the line will remain single tracked, rehabilitation works are underway to replace the worn track and many stations are also being upgraded.

Most of the lines use concrete sleepers, which had replaced wooden sleepers from 1982 for the Kerdau-Jerantut and Sungai Yu-Tumpat lines and became more widespread after upgrading works in recent years.

When the East Coast Line rehabilitation work and West Coast line double tracking is complete, the network will exclusively use concrete sleepers.

As a national railway company, KTMB is involved in the business of providing rail based transportation. This can be divided into four major services:

a) KTM Intercity

Main article: KTM Intercity

KTM ETS Class 91 and KTM Komuter Class 92 at Ipoh station.

KTM Intercity (Malay: KTM Antarabandar) is the brand name for long-haul passenger train that connect cities and major town served by KTMB rail network.

The service is provided using conventional locomotives hauled coaches. Service span the length of the network, except branch-lines. Daily service convey passengers from Johor Bahru, Johor, to Tumpat, Kelantan and Woodlands, Singapore.

KTM Intercity has also introduce innovative services aimed at making its train not merely a means of transportation. It is possible for customers to rent specialized coaches for event management, conference and even wedding.

It has also been involved in various type of collaborations, joint-promotions, and cross-promotions with all state-level tourism bodies, travel agencies and travel-related industry players in developing rail package for group travellers.

c) KTM Komuter

A KTM Komuter Class 83 at Bank Negara station.

KTM Komuter is a commuter rail service serving the Klang Valley and Northern part of Malaysia.

The central sector consists of the Seremban Line and Port Klang Line. In addition to the main lines, there are shuttle services from Sentul to Batu Caves and Rawang to Tanjong Malim. Since 2018, KTM Komuter also operates an airport train service - the Skypark Link linking KL Sentral to the Subang Airport. The fleet presently consists of Class 81, Class 83 and Class 92 EMUs.

The Northern Sector consists of two routes, namely the Bukit Mertajam-Padang Rengas route as well as the Butterworth-Padang Besar route.

KTM Komuter is a heavily utilised mode of transportation by commuters working in Kuala Lumpur as the service is an alternative for road travel, which is occasionally hampered by congestion. Virtually all KTM Komuter stops offer "Park & Ride" parking lots for those who drive to and from the station or halt. KTM Komuter ridership is estimated to be about 50 million passengers in 2010.

KTM Komuter is currently the most profitable passenger service offered by KTMB, contributing MYR 100 million to group revenue in 2010, higher than KTM Intercity's profit of MYR 70.94 million in the same year.

KTM operates several non-rail subsidiaries. Though considered as non-core businesses, KTMB has benefited from these operations, especially from Property and Advertising segments.

• Property

The property joint ventures were progressing comparatively well under the prevailing economic climate. As part of the Sentul Raya Development, the Maple Condominium was handed over to purchasers in August 2006 while the Saffron Condominium is under construction and expected to be completed in 2007. Meanwhile, KL Sentral Development has embarked on construction of luxury condominiums, new office towers and life-style centre whilst the construction of the Marine View Hotel in Port Dickson is expected to be completed in 2007. To cater for demand from surrounding residential areas, KTMB's partner for the Prai Perdana Development is in the process of constructing a new retail complex and the project is expected to be completed in 2007.

• Advertising

Through KTMB's collaboration with Ganad Media Sdn. Bhd. the advertising revenue had increased by 9.7% to RM1.47 million compared to the previous year. Several new advertising structures have been built in Klang Valley while more on-train advertising media like panels and hand-grips were made available on top of the increased demand for 'wrap-around' advertising on the commuter trains.

• Multimodal Freight (MMF)

Multimodal Freight Sdn. Bhd., incorporated in 1988, was licensed as a Government approved Container Haulier in 1991, and went on to obtain the Government approved Multimodal Transport Operator (MTO) status in 1999. The company operates a fleet of 225 Prime Movers and 1,300 trailer of both 20-feet and 40-feet configurations. The fleet is deployed at all major seaports and the inland ports of Ipoh and Nilai.[7]

• KTM Distribution (KTMD)

Its core business is in the provision of express parcel distribution services to the commercial, industrial and administrative sectors and it operates within Malaysia and Singapore. Parcel distribution is carried out through its door-to-door service or from point to point through its station-to-station service. The company is also licensed by the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission as a courier service provider, which enables it to carry letters and documents up to 2 kg. This service has so far been monopoly of the Postal Department. The company owns an 18,000 sq ft (1,700 m²). freehold property in Sri Damansara, from which it earns warehouse rental income.[8]

Since the corporatisation of KTMB, a programme of modernization has been underway. In 1989, it embarked on the double-tracking and electrification of the trunk line between Rawang and Seremban, the branch lines between Batu Junction and Sentul and between Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang, allowing KTM Komuter services to start running in 1995.[9] Successive double tracking projects has allowed for expansion of electric traction to intercity services in the form of ETS. The entire West Coast line is scheduled to be fully electrified by 2022.

• Chairman: Y.B Datuk Dr. Rameli Musa .
• Chief Executive Officer (CEO): YBhg. Datuk Ir. Kamarulzaman bin Zainal.
• Non-Independent, Non-Executive Directors: Y. Brs Encik Mohd Hassan Ahmad , Y.Bhg Dato'Jana Santhiran a/l Muniayan , Y. Brs Encik Azhar Noraini
• Independent Non-Executive Directors: Y. Brs Encik Md Silmi Abd Rahman, Y. Brs Encik Nazri Ismail, YBhg. Dato’ Prof. Dr. Sudin bin Haron
• Heads of Strategic Business Units;
  • KTM Intercity: Encik Afzar Zakariya
  • KTM Komuter: Encik Roshidi Yahaya
  • KTM Kargo: Encik Mohd Din Mohamad

• 
  Malayan Railways 1948-1984
• 
  KTM 1984-1991
• 
  KTM 1991–present

• Rail transport in Malaysia
• Prasarana Malaysia
• MRT Corp
• Sabah State Railway
• Transport in Malaysia

• Keretapi Tanah Melayu Official Website