Double Set DMU for Shuttle Timuran 55/56

From 8 October 2021, Shuttle Timuran 55/56 plying between Tumpat Railway Station and Dabong Railway Station will operate with a double set of DMU 61 Class on Fridays, Saturdays, and public holidays. This doubles the seating capacity of Shuttle Timuran 55/56 to 416 seats across 8 cars.

Cover image courtesy of Kelvin Khew.

Shuttle Timuran 55/56 Timetable

Shuttle Timuran 55 departs from Tumpat Railway Station at 10.20am, arriving at Dabong Railway Station at 1.50pm.

Returning back, Shuttle Timuran 56 departs from Dabong Railway Station at 2.50pm, arriving at Tumpat Railway Station at 6.21pm.

Contrary to a viral article on the internet, not all Shuttle Timuran trains stop at every station. Shuttle Timuran 55 does not stop at Kampung Kok Pasir Railway Halt, Bunut Susu Railway Halt, Chica Tinggi Railway Halt, Sungai Keladi Railway Halt, Bukit Panau Railway Halt, and Sungai Nal Railway Halt.

KTM 61 Class DMU

The KTM DMU 61 Class is the newest 4-car Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) for DMU train services – the new generation of regional travel on non-electrified lines on the network upgraded from locomotive-hauled services.

There are 2 versions of DMU 61 Class trains – 1 with parcel storage and 1 without. Version 1 without PV has 214 seats, while Version 2 with PV has 208 seats.

416 Seats

KTM Berhad promotes this double set Shuttle Timuran service with a seating capacity of 416 seats. This means that KTM will operate this double set Shuttle Timuran service with 2 sets of Version 2 with PV (208 seats), of which KTM has an abundant 9 sets.

A quick search on KITS shows that KTM is selling both DMU 61 Class sets in the Version 2 configuration, easily identified by the “wall seats” or longitudinal seats.

Notably, the 25 standing tickets in each DMU 61 Class coach (100 standing tickets per set) cannot be purchased on this double set Shuttle Timuran service. The additional seating capacity would hopefully help mitigate the loading issue on board Shuttle Timuran 55/56. especially on Kelantan weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) and public holidays.