PM Najib today liken the newly launched Klang Valley MRT as world class, better than London and New York.
What a joke… Najib has certainly buried his head in the sand and surrounded himself with yes men.
It’s certainly nice to have the MRT. But it would be better to acknowledge our need for improvement and have an action plan, rather than assuming we are the best in the world.
This is where our MRT falls short and what we must urgently do to make it better:
- Poor connectivity. Only those within walking distance to the MRT stations or driving distance from the few with park and ride can easily use the MRT. Many others can’t, because the feeder buses are not adequate. London has 7500 and Hong Kong has 10,000 buses to connect people to the trains and places. We only have 1500, and many don’t run for lack of drivers.
- Lack of total network. Public transportation must connect everywhere to everywhere. If not, many can’t use it, even though you may live or work next to a MRT station. Someone in Bukit Jelutong is unlikely to use public transport or the MRT, even if he works next to a station. Selangor Government has identified 12 railway lines to be built. While all won’t be built overnight, the federal government and SPAD must acknowledge and plan for these lines to provide holistic coverage in the whole Klang Valley.
- Our fares are too expensive. It’s time to bring back the monthly pass, that we once had. Fares for public transport users now can cost more than 200-300 ringgit a month, which makes public transport not attractive. End to end fares on the MRT cost rm6.40, and on Singapore’s MRT only $2.28.