KTM Seems To Have Reinstated Minimum Distance for Southern ETS3 Booking
KTM Berhad seems to have reinstated the minimum distance rule for ETS3 bookings on the Southern Line, bringing back the booking rule last seen on 18 May 2016 which was applied on Ekspres Peninsular and Senandung Sutera operating on the Southern Line. The minimum distance is observed to be from KL Sentral to Pulau Sebang/Tampin for the southbound ETS Platinum 9511dn train, and Kluang to Gemas for the northbound ETS Platinum 9514up train.
With this reinstatement, all ETS lines now have minimum distances applied.
Minimum Distance for ETS Platinum 9511dn
ETS Platinum 9511dn tickets from KL Sentral to Seremban are not available for booking.
However, ETS Platinum 9511dn tickets from KL Sentral to Pulau Sebang/Tampin, the minimum distance, are available for booking.
Minimum Distance for ETS Platinum 9514up
ETS Platinum 9514up tickets from Kluang to Labis are not available for booking.
However, ETS Platinum 9514up tickets from Kluang to Gemas, the minimum distance, are available for booking.
Short Distance ETS3 Train Bookings
Purchase of ETS3 tickets less than minimum distance will be allowed 24 hours before departure. This is to allow passengers travelling on a longer distance to book a seat without the seat map being over-populated by short-distance travellers. Passengers travelling on the short-distance sectors will then be able to book the leftover remaining seats if available.
Workaround for Short Distance Bookings
If you do need a confirmed ticket for your short distance trip, you can buy a ticket for a longer sector just after the minimum distance. For example, if you need a Kluang to Segamat confirmed ticket 6 months in advance, you can book a Kluang to Gemas ticket which is the minimum distance, then just alight at Segamat. This method may prove to be popular for popular peak dates once the ETS gets extended to JB Sentral.
Historical Example of Minimum Distance Effect
On 30 June 2011, many passengers had wanted to be on the last train in to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, which happened to be Ekspres Rakyat 1dn. However, some of the passengers had wanted to only board from JB Sentral to Singapore, while others did not want a long trip. As such, most passengers aiming to be on the last train in to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station purchased Segamat to Singapore tickets, which caused the last Ekspres Rakyat 1dn to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to be fully booked.
This led the Ekspres Rakyat 1dn to be partially empty from Butterworth to KL Sentral, and even more empty from KL Sentral to Segamat. As not all Segamat to Singapore passengers boarded from Segamat either, the Ekspres Rakyat 1dn was just more than half full from Segamat to Singapore, before being completely full – only for the final leg from JB Sentral to Singapore.