KTM Class 81

Class 81

A Class 81 EMU 14 Komuter train.
In service 1994 - Current
Manufacturer Jenbacher Transport
(designed by Hunslet TPL)
Number built 54 cars (18 sets) (14 sets retired and abandoned, 4 sets refurbished)
Formation 3 per trainset
Capacity 414 (224 seats)
Operator(s) Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Depot(s) Batu Gajah Rail Depot
Sentul Komuter Depot
Line(s) served Seremban-Pulau Sebang/Tampin Route
Seremban-Pulau Sebang/Tampin-Gemas Route
Specifications
Height 3.65 m (12 ft 0 in)
Maximum speed 160 km/h (99 mph) (Design)
120 km/h (75 mph) (Service)
Weight 121 tonnes (119 long tons; 133 short tons)
Traction system GTO-VVVF
(HOLEC)
Electric system(s) 25 kV 50 Hz AC catenary
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge

The Class 81 is the first and oldest type of electric multiple unit introduced by Keretapi Tanah Melayu for its KTM Komuter service. 18 sets were designed by Hunslet TPL and built by Jenbacher Transport and were delivered in stages. The class 81 currently operates in a fixed 3-car formation for its regular service.[1] During the 1995-1999 period it used to operate at peak hours in a 3+3 car formation. But this configuration was soon discontinued. Briefly from 2009-2010, some of the train sets of this class were used in a hybrid diesel pull configuration in which an unpowered EMU would be towed by a diesel locomotive and while it gets electricity from an attached generator wagon.

The cars have features that resemble passenger carriages on existing intercity services, such as single-leaf doors, luggage racks and transverse seating. During the overhaul drive 2008, it was seen that a number of class 81's were refurbished such that there would be larger standing areas near the doors while enlarging the narrow bottle-necking corridors surrounding the doors. The Class 81 is now operated with a designated female coach at the middle (or second car) of the train set.

The KTM class 81 design is derived from the proven British Rail Class 323, with the main alteration being that it has single leaf swing-plug doors instead of a double leaf type.

Description

The rolling stock consists of three versions of three-car EMUs added over the course of three years, beginning in 1994. The EMUs were the first in KTM's history. All Komuter EMUs operate in multiple-unit formation, running from overhead single-phase 25 kV AC 50 Hz catenary supply, with two driving cars and 1 - 3 trailer cars in between. The EMUs were state-of-the-art, with remote-controlled pneumatic doors, Automatic Train Protection (ATP), train data recorder, wheel-slip control, GTO/IGBT traction electronics and regenerative braking. Up to the point of their introduction no other KTM motive power used these modern train control systems.

Designated by KTM as "Class 8x"s, the EMUs wear a yellow, blue and grey livery, a departure from the predominantly grey livery that KTM adopted on other locomotives and passenger coaches at the time. A handful of EMUs include full advertisements on the sides of their cars.

The original Komuter fleet consisted of the following models:

Car No. 1 2 3
Seating capacity 72 80 72
Designation Mc Tp Mc
Set Designation 1 2 3 Status
EMU 01 C8101 T8101 C8102 Scrapped
EMU 02 C8103 T8102 C8104 Abandoned
EMU 03 C8105 T8103 C8106 Abandoned
EMU 04 C8107 T8104 C8108 Abandoned
EMU 05 C8109 T8105 C8110 Refurbished
EMU 06 C8111 T8106 C8112 Refurbished
EMU 07 C8113 T8107 C8114 Abandoned
EMU 08 C8115 T8108 C8116 Abandoned
EMU 09 C8117 T8109 C8118 Refurbished
EMU 10 C8119 T8110 C8120 Abandoned
EMU 11 C8121 T8111 C8122 Abandoned
EMU 12 C8123 T8112 C8124 Abandoned
EMU 13 C8125 T8113 C8126 Abandoned
EMU 14 C8127 T8114 C8128 Refurbished
EMU 15 C8129 T8115 C8130 Abandoned
EMU 16 C8131 T8116 C8132 Abandoned at Rawang
EMU 17 C8133 T8117 C8134 Abandoned at Rawang
EMU 18 C8135 T8118 C8136 Abandoned

Refurbishing

On late 2013, the Seremban-Gemas Electrified Double Tracking Project was completed. However, there were not enough ETS trainsets that can be used to serve the track. As a result, a few of the Class 81 has been refurbished with a new livery. One of the trainset that was refurbished was EMU 14. The middle coach has a surau in it. An LCD TV was also added to each end of the coach.

Service History

The class 81 currently operates in a fixed 3-car formation for its regular service. During the 1995-1999 period it used to operate at peak hours in a 3+3 car formation. But this configuration was soon discontinued.

Briefly from 2009-2010, some of the train sets of this class were used in a hybrid diesel pull configuration in which an unpowered EMU would be towed by a diesel locomotive and while it gets electricity from an attached generator wagon. Dubbed the KTM "Hybrid" trains it serviced both KLS-Rawang and Kajang-Rawang routes.[2]

The arrival of the KTM Class 92 in 2012 resulted in retirement of the KTM class 81, with now many brought down to Sentul workshops, to be refurbished and converted into inter-regional sets.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "KOMI". ktmkomuter.com.my. KTM Komuter. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  2. ↑ Kng Zheng Guan (2009-05-15). "KTMB running hybrid trains to deal with congestion". The Star.
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