Express Rail Link

The Express Rail Link is a standard gauge and electrified airport rail link in Malaysia that connects the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) with the Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral) transportation hub, 57 kilometres apart. The line is utilised by two different train services operated by Express Rail Link Sendirian Berhad:


 * KLIA Ekspres, a direct airport rail service directly from the KLIA to KL Sentral, launched on April 14, 2002.
 * KLIA Transit, a commuter rail service with three additional stops between the KLIA and KL Sentral, launched on June 1, 2002.

Background
Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd. (ERL) is a joint venture company between YTL Corporation Bhd., Lembaga Tabung Haji and Trisilco Equity Sdn. Bhd. with each partner holding 50%, 40% and 10% of the company respectively. On the 25th of August 1997, the Malaysian government presented the company with a 30 year concession to finance, build, maintain and control the operations of the railway.

Construction began in May 1997 and was completed 5 years later. It was then handed over to SYZ consortium, a joint relations consortium between German and Malaysian companies consisting of Siemens AG, Siemens Electric Engineering Sdn. Bhd and Syarikat Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay Sdn. Bhd (SPYTL), a wholly owned subsidiary of YTL Corporation Bhd.

ERL Maintenance and Support was set up in 1999 and is responsible for the operations and maintenance of trains owned by ERL. The company was initially a joint venture between Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd. and Siemens AG, but since June 2005 it has been wholly owned by Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd.

The 1997 financial crisis that hit Asia caused a brief setback to the project but due to strong governmental support, the project went on to completion. The project raked up a cost of RM2.4 billion which was financed through equity mergers (RM500 million), loans from Development and Infrastructure Bank of Malaysia (RM940 million) and the remainder through import credit from four German financial institutions.

Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd. achieved profits in 2003 after only a year of operations.

Rolling stock
Both the KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit use a total of 12 four-car Desiro ET 425 M electrical multiple unit (EMU) trainsets by Siemens AG:


 * 8 trains serve the KLIA Ekspres.
 * 4 trains serve the KLIA Transit.

The trains run at a maximum commercial speed at 160 km/h, the fastest speed for rail travel in Malaysia.

Accidents
On August 24, 2010, Express Rail Link suffered their first reported accident in which 3 passengers were injured. Two ERL trains collided at Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Of the trains involved one of them was about to depart at 9.45pm for Kuala Lumpur International Airport while the other train, which was empty, rammed into its rear.

Future
A 2.14 km extension to the new KLIA2 terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport is under construction. Commercial service is scheduled to commence on 1 May 2013, when KLIA2 opens.

ERL operator YTL has proposed extending the line all the way to Singapore and as of June 2007, the Malaysian Government said the feasibility of the proposal was still being studied. The RM8 billion project would slash rail travel time from more than 8 hours to about 90 minutes.