Bringing 'Impian LRT' down to earth Pt 1
I like trains, I really do. I like the fact that they are smooth and generally quiet and very fast. I especially like riding in the Kelana Jaya LRT, with its front and back facing windows.
When I see children standing or sitting at the front of the LRT, facing forward and gazing out at the track, it reminds me of my childhood, sitting in the front seat of the bus, streetcar/tram, or subway train.
Perhaps this is why, whenever I hear about a proposed LRT line or train line, part of me remembers the excitement and wonder of riding public transportation. But then I come back to adulthood and reality hits.
I like trains, I really do. I like the fact that they are smooth and generally quiet and very fast. I especially like riding in the Kelana Jaya LRT, with its front and back facing windows.
When I see children standing or sitting at the front of the LRT, facing forward and gazing out at the track, it reminds me of my childhood, sitting in the front seat of the bus, streetcar/tram, or subway train.
Perhaps this is why, whenever I hear about a proposed LRT line or train line, part of me remembers the excitement and wonder of riding public transportation. But then I come back to adulthood and reality hits.
The truth is that the Impian LRT - trains whizzing people around the city quickly and smoothly - is really just a dream. It is a dream based on false knowledge of public transportation and a false assumption that people will use public transportation if it comes in the form of a streamlined train.
Unfortunately, this dream affects everyone - politicians, commuters, engineers, planners, bus companies and train operators. It attracts us because it helps us to avoid reality. Instead of making small, simple changes at ground level, we simply aim for the skies.
In Subang Jaya, for example, there is a hope that the proposed extension of the LRT will solve traffic congestion. However, this is a car-oriented suburban community. All will reason that, while the LRT is nice to have and nice to look at, it doesn’t really serve their transport needs.
Why do Malaysians dream so much about LRT? Probably because the public transportation system is a nightmare for them. For bus commuters, the nightmare is avoidable. Those who avoid buses are like people who avoid nightmares - they hope the LRT dream will help those stuck in the bus nightmare.
The sad thing is that we make no effort to deal with the ‘bus nightmare’. We refuse to face the nightmare and confront the source of the nightmare. We just keep on dreaming.
Residents and visitors to Putrajaya are among those who are still dreaming that the monorail will be completed soon, although this will not happen any time soon. There is a bus service and it is not so much of a nightmare, but people avoid it because they are afraid of nightmares.
Wake up, KTMB
I was initially pleasantly surprised to hear that KTMB has proposed an Outer Ring Rail line to provide a link between suburban communities in the Klang Valley.
Most analyses show that there is a need to build ring lines to complete the integrated rail transit network. This line will fill gaps in the more urbanised areas of the Klang Valley.
It also reminded me of my confidence in what KTM Komuter could be. I have long stated that the government needs to treat the KTM Komuter service as our version of Singapore’s MRT, by expanding the services and improving frequency and quality.
This would require doubling (or tripling) of the rolling stock, but it would be a great investment and it would cost less than the LRT.
My second set of thoughts was more sober - this Outer Ring Rail proposal is another manifestation of ‘Impian LRT’.
To be fair, this version is more realistic than the proposal to build a series of separate monorail lines that would ultimately create a ‘ring’ line. It is also far more realistic than the RM12 billion LRT proposals from the previous Selangor government.
I know that KTMB can build this line, but is capable of operating it like a MRT service? It is already cancelling trains on the Rawang-Seremban line because it does not have enough Electric-Multiple Unit (EMU) trains.
There are also not enough trains to run the shuttle between Rawang and Kaula Kubu Baru, let alone the future extension to Tanjung Malim. 
KTMB should focus on improving the Komuter service by finding radical solutions to problems. While we wait for new trains (and the current order is woefully inadequate), KTMB should be taking steps to make the Komuter service work.
Change the existing service around. Use the EMU trains for short-haul services around KL (inside the MRRII boundary) and run express Komuter trains that stop only at stations, not at ‘halts’. Start using the three unused platforms and five unused tracks at the Kuala Lumpur station.
This overhaul would increase the frequency of service in the urban areas and still bring good service to suburban areas. Other services (long-haul trains and those servicing the ‘halts’) could use intercity carriages pulled by diesel engines, and could operate at a lower frequency.
KTMB needs to put its dreams aside and awaken to the reality of its poor service. Once it does so, it start making improvements. One day, it may achieve the ‘Impian LRT’ in the form of KTM Komuter.
MOAZ YUSUF AHMAD, a regular user of public transport, is deeply concerned that government plans to encourage the use of public transport will ultimately fail because of poor planning and lack of public support.
