A tender was called by Ministry of Transport in May 2020 for 10 six-car intercity EMUs, with three manufacturers putting up bids for the project.[4]
CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, which had manufactured the earlier Class 93, was awarded the tender for the new trains. As part of the conditions, 2 sets would be manufactured at CRRC Zhuzhou's factory in China while the remaining 8 sets would be manufactured in CRRC's factory in Batu Gajah, Malaysia.[5]
The train has a capacity of 312 seats, with 276 standard class seats and 36 business class seats.[2]
Compared to the earlier Class 93, the class features a 14.2% improvement in acceleration and a 24.5% increase in tractive effort.[1] The battery capacity for auxiliary power is 640 A h, double that of the Class 93s. This allows the train's emergency lighting and ventilation system to function for two hours without overhead catenary supply.[2]
The train meets the EN 15227 crashworthiness standard and EN 45545 fire safety standards.[1]
The first set was completed on 8 June 2024 and was handed over to the Transport Ministry in a ceremony at the CRRC Zhuzhou factory. The remaining sets are scheduled to be fully delivered by 12 August 2025.[3]
^ abc"出海再赢"回头客"马来西亚ETS3新型米轨动车组在株洲下线" [Going overseas and winning "repeat customers" again, Malaysia's ETS3 new meter-gauge EMU rolled off the production line in Zhuzhou]. m.yunnan.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-06-09.
