Our first journey on an ETS train

Assalamualaikum,

When the Electric Train Service (ETS) was operational from July 2015, I was trying hard to find any good excuse to travel on one. Fast forward to October 2016, I finally found one very good excuse to get on board on one of those sleek looking electric train. My masters' study are now complete, and it's time to prepare for the graduation or convocation ceremony. Last weekend was one of the designated date to get the convocation's robe. I did not feel like driving, I was itching to travel on the ETS train. So a decision was made, off I went on the choo choo train.

I decided to take my two sons along. It will be their first time getting on board of a train. My dad interested to join in the fun. So why not? The more, the merrier. It will be good for him to explore an alternative to flying. A cheaper alternative and hopefully a less taxing alternative for my mom as well, who is currently suffering from a knee problem.

Our journey started early in the morning. 7:55 am to be exact. The train departed Bukit Mertajam's train station on time. Not even a minute late! That was a great first impression.

There were plenty of legrooms inside the ETS. The seat can be reclined. A tray ala the one found in an airplane was available, ready to be used by the commuters. The seats were comfortable. Not too hard and not too soft, it felt just right. The coaches were clean and well maintained.

Plenty of storage areas on the overhead compartments. If those compartments are not sufficient, you can store your luggage underneath the seat.

Do you notice the seating arrangement? There are rows facing to the front, and there are those facing to the back. Do check with the ticket seller whether you can opt for seats that are facing the front, if that is your preference, or vice versa. I sat on both front facing and rear passing seat, and I was comfortable on both. I had no issue with motion sickness or any unpleasant feeling when I was sitting on both type of seats.

Below was the entertainment unit. If you zoom into the picture, you'll notice the digital speed indicator which shows the ETS speed. When I took that picture, the train was travelling at 140km/h. Even at high speed, the train felt planted and smooth.

That boy was sure having fun on the train. Smiling from ear to ear.

Here was the canteen. It is officially called as a bistro. That is where you can grab foods and drinks. I forgot to snap a picture of the menu and their respective prices. From what I can remember, a combo set which comprised of packet food and drink will cost RM9. You can buy them as ala carte, but as a combo, it was way cheaper.

There were seats and tables if you decide to eat or drink by the bistro.

The picture below partially shows what on offer at the bistro. Nasi tomato, fried bihun, rice with rendang ayam and mee mamak. I'm not sure what was inside the packet shown at the far left. Do take note that there were more on offer, but I did not took any picture of them. If those are not to your fancy, you can bring your own food.

Here are some tips when taking the ETS.

1. It can be cold, extremely cold inside the ETS. Bring along a sweater when travelling on one, especially at night. That was my son, all covered up.

2. Bistro is in Coach C. Ask for Coach C from the ticketing counter if you do not fancy to walk through multiple coaches just to buy food.

3. Musolla or surau is also in Coach C. So plan accordingly.

4. Toilets were clean. There were 2 smaller toilets in Coach B and Coach E. A bigger toilet was available at Coach D, suitable for the handicapped or the elderly.

5. If you are travelling in a group of four, you can opt for group seating. Talk to the ticket seller if you are interested in those type of seating. If you need more details on seating arrangement, you can visit the website shown in the link below.

Seating arrangement on an ETS train

That's it for today. Till next time, salam...