Rail Travel With Fun And Games
KTMB general manager Sarbini Tijan trying out the SMS ticketing method yesterday. With him is YoMobile Sdn Bhd executive director Datin Salena Ahmad.
KUALA LUMPUR: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) plans to make it fun to travel by train, making it more than just getting from point A to point B.
The national rail company plans to introduce “event coaches” where passengers can sing, dance, watch “live” shows or play telematches on long-haul journeys.
For example, said general manager Sarbini Tijan, the journey from KL to the Thai border takes 14 hours.
So, a little entertainment can help pass the time.
For a start, the entertainment packages will be offered to groups of 20. And KTMB also plans to offer special Valentine’s Day packages and interstate tourism packages.
Also in the pipeline is Internet service on trains, so passengers can work or surf the Internet while they travel.
Sarbini said the service would begin in about two years when the double-tracking system from KL to Ipoh is complete.
Five new trains, with six coaches each, will be wired for the Internet.
“We hope to attract more passengers this way as the travel time between the two cities will also be cut from 31/2 hours to 21/4 hours,” he said.
At the moment, the only entertainment available on trains is LCD television, which is not clear, but “we hope to improve this”, he said.
He was launching the company’s new SMS ticketing facility yesterday. The booking method is simple - type KTMB with the destination, number of tickets and date you wish to travel and send it to 32425.
New Straits Times