A continuous railway journey from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to the north of the peninsula is now made easier with the launching of the integrated ticket of Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) and Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said through the latest initiative of the two railway operators, a passenger needs only to buy one ticket to enjoy a seamless journey by the trains of ERL and KTMB to their destinations. 'It is not only facilitate travellers but also gives added value in terms of saving time and cost while further enhancing the efficiency of the public transport system,' he told a media conference after launching the ERL and KTMB Integrated Ticket here today. Also present were KTMB chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin and ERL chief executive officer Noormah Mohd Noor. The integrated ticket went on sale at five selected KTMB stations namely Alor Setar, Sungai Petani, Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam and Ipoh via KTMB I ntegrated Ticketing System (KITS) as well as ERL website since July 19. Hasbi did not rule out the possibility of adding more KTMB stations southbound such as Gemas in Negeri Sembilan; Pulau Sebang (Melaka); and Segamat, as well as Johor Bahru (Johor) to encourage the people to use rail as a public transportation. Meanwhile, Mohd Rani Hisham expect the sale of integrated tickets to double this month. 'The total number given in August is 1,327 and we expect the number to double in September. Hopefully with this official launching, ticket sales will soar. The collaboration is a win-win situation for both railway operators,' he said. In this regard, Noormah said ERL intends to explore the possibility of integrating the entire KTMB ticket booking system with the ERL ecosystem. "Loyal customers of KTMB, they can now continue to plan their journey to KLIA Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 through the KLIA Ekspres service for domestic or international flights for work or family vacations," she said. Source: BERNAMA N ews Agency