Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Improved Komuter service this February

MRT admin is back and come with good news for commuters using KTM Komuter service. The 6-car train set will come into operation next February 2012, this appeared to be a 'delay' from the earlier expected January 2012 operation.

KTMB's Commuter Service Gets A Boost (Bernama)

December 27, 2011

BATU GAJAH, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) commuter service is expected to get a shot in the arm in February when four of the 38 six car sets (SCS) it purchased become operational.

Its president Dr Aminuddin Adnan said this would help overcome problems like delays and lack of coaches faced by the service, which was currently using the three-coach Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) sets.

"We currently have 25 EMU sets but half of them need to be restored. However, we cannot do so because of inadequate sets because the others are constantly in use. This often cause delays," he told reporters at the KTMB Complex here, today.

He said for the same reason (not enough sets), KTMB could also not increase the frequency of the service.

Meanwhile, Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said although KTMB was supposed to introduce the SCS sets this year, but postponed to next year in order not to compromise on safety.

He said this was because each of the train set which could accommodate 1,000 passengers needed to follow specifications, laws and international standards.

KTMB had received nine of the 38 SCS sets and four more were expected to arrive in January while the balance would be delivered in stages until June 2012, he said.

"The frequency of the service will be improved to every 10 minutes with 63 train units - 38 SCS train sets plus 25 EMUs - which will be available by June 2012," he said.

Other news:
KTMB plans to invest RM1bil in 20 more electric coaches (The Star)- link

Friday, November 18, 2011

No bus service in Seremban

Seremban residents are desperate to have the iconic 'Red' buses back. Over the past 2 days, bus services in Ngeri Sembilan, especially Seremban have been grounded.

Article: KTB: We cannot subsidise Negri services any more
News update Bus operators cease services along many routes in Seremban to cut losses

Going nowhere: Bus drivers and employees of the consortium sitting at their depot in Oakland near Seremban 2 after services to several areas were terminated yesterday. Image courtesy of The Star.

More buses than usual lying idle at the depot now that services have been greatly reduced in Negri Sembilan.

KTM Komuter woes

KTM Komuter came into limelight again for 'no' apparent reason again. Its services has been heavily criticised and not to be mention as 'lousy' public transport provider.

A The Star reader sent a letter (Wake-up call for KTM Komuter) to voice out her grouses and dissatisfaction.

And below is the reply from representative of KTM Berhad.

KTM addressing the woes (The Star)

Thursday November 17, 2011

WE refer to “Wake-up call for KTM Komuter” (The Star, Nov 15). We are aware of the problems that the writer and other commuters face.

In order to rectify the problems, we introduced, in October, KTM Komuter Twitter, which provides information on the rescheduling of the train timetable and cancellations.

The writer and others may follow us on @ktmkomuter for service updates.

We also make frequent announcements at all stations on train arrivals, cancellations as well as on safety messages.

We do notice the crowds at stations and make announcements for commuters boarding to allow passengers to disembark first before getting onto the train to avoid chaos on the platform.

One of our main initiatives to ease passenger flow during peak hours is to provide nine additional six-car Komuter trains on weekdays for the Seremban–Sungai Buloh–Seremban section (considered to have the highest capacity) that could double the passenger capacity.

Another initiative is that KTM Bhd has ordered 38 new six-car sets (SCS). Two sets have arrived and are undergoing testing with a view to being put into operation in early 2012.

With the additional 38 new SCS, we aim to improve our train intervals from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. These 38 new SCS come with features such as better air-conditioning system, ergonomic seats, two coaches for ladies, CCTV for security, space for the disabled, dynamic route display, Passenger Information System (PIS), priority seats for the elderly and others in need, and passenger intercom.

In the meantime, please bear with us as we are going through a difficult period of having to delicately juggle our services between major maintenance and meeting customer demand.

Both are equally important to us, and we are trying our level best to keep up and meet the deadlines and expectations.

We apologise for the inconveniences and thank the writer for her valuable feedback.

MOHD FAZIL ISMAIL,
Corporate Communications,
KTM Bhd.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

FAQ: RapidKL Transit card

KVMRT has received answers for several questions that commuters would like to know. The following answers were from RapidKL in a Twitter session.

Question 1
Is there any plan for RapidKL to integrate three cards (namely: Rabbit Card, MyRapid Card and Rapid Pass) into a single card?

RapidKL: Yes. The plan to use MyRapid Card in buses and KTM Komuter, but it is still in discussion stage and would be announced soon.

For Monorail, MyRapid Card can be used as early as February 2012. Commuters are advised to be patient. Thank you.


Question 2
Why there is no discount in fares by using Rabbit Card and MyRapid Card?

RapidKL: There is still no official announcement for discount XX%. Wait for the announcement! Expected when all the systems run smoothly.

This is the two questions that KVMRT managed to ask and received feedback from RapidKL in Twitter session. We hope it can clarify on some issues regarding the card system deployed by RapidKL.

Follow RapidKL at @MyRapidKL for latest updates, enquiries or feedback.

MyRapid Card

Token for single journey

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

RapidKL introduces myrapid Card

Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL), a subsidiary of Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) will be introducing MyRapid card for all LRT commuters, beginning on 2 November 2011.


With the tagline “One is all you need”, the MyRapid card is a new stored value card to provide convenient travel and hassle-free LRT rides. With the MyRapid card, commuters will be able to use only one card at both the Ampang and Kelana Jaya LRT lines without the need to have two separate cards for the interchange between the two service lines.

MyRapid card will be available for sale at all RapidKL LRT stations Ticket Offices from 2 November 2011. LRT users can buy the card at a special introductory price with a discount of 80% on card price of RM10 (RM2 for card price with RM8 card value) while stocks last. Meanwhile, the existing Magnetic Stored Value Ticket (SVT) holders can exchange their cards to the new MyRapid card at the ticket offices, free of charge.

RapidKL also would like to announce that the New Ticketing System for RapidKL LRT is expected to commence operation, in parallel with the existing ticketing system, beginning 02 November 2011. Therefore, we urge LRT users to buy the new MyRapid card to ease their journey.

The RapidKL New Ticketing System which is technically referred to as the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) is the new RM115.2 million system which provides convenience to commuters, with a single ticket for both LRT systems and also ease of travelling between lines at the interchange stations.

Installed by a joint venture Malaysian-Spanish company INDRA-IRIS AFC Consortium (IIAC), the new system comprises new sets of automatic gates, ticketing vending machines, passenger service machines, mobile validators, station computer system, central computer system, initialization machines and personalization machines.

The AFC System is being installed at all 49 LRT stations (25 stations for Ampang Line and 24 stations for Kelana Jaya Line) and expected to be fully operational by end of November 2011. As for Monorail services, the system is targeted to be completed by first quarter of 2012.

How to use:

Cards:


Fares:
Integrated fares for Ampang and Kelana Jaya Line

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Pre-qualified bidders for MRT tunnelling project

KVMRT has get the news on the pre-qualified bidders for MRT tunnelling project. Only one Malaysian company, Gamuda-MMC is in the run with five other foreign bidders.

Gamuda-MMC faces lower bids from pre-qualified bidders for MRT tunnelling project (The Star)

PETALING JAYA: The front runner for the mass rapid transit (MRT) tunnelling project – the Gamuda Bhd-MMC Corp Bhd joint venture – may be put in a tough spot to match the lower bids from some of the pre-qualified bidders, industry sources said.

Yesterday a financial newspaper reported that five companies had been pre-qualified for the project, including Gamuda-MMC, China’s Sinohydro Group Ltd, South Korea’s SK Holdings and two other parties from China and Japan.

Gamuda-MMC was the only local company shortlisted.

Reliable sources have confirmed this.

In an e-mail reply to StarBizWeek, Gamuda said: “We have not been informed of being shortlisted.” It didn’t reply to other questions in the e-mail.

The tunnelling works for the MRT is estimated to cost RM7bil and the financial newspaper reported that the pre-qualified parties had three months to submit their bids.

It had been reported that the project delivery partner (PDP) of the MRT project, Gamuda-MMC, would have the upper hand in bidding for the job as it was given the right to match the lowest offer from other bidders for the tunnelling job under the Swiss challenge system (Gamuda-MMC has to match the lowest bid to win).

However, bidders from China are said to pose a threat to Gamuda-MMC due to their expertise and experience in tunnelling jobs as well as having the financial muscles to undertake the project.

A reliable source added that local parties have a price advantage of between 3.5% to 7.5%, depending on the level of local and bumiputra equity participation in the project.

“However even with this price advantage, Gamuda-MMC could still be hard-pressed to match the pricing of some of the other bidders,” an industry source said.

Meanwhile OSK Research pointed out that while there was a risk of the other four pre-qualified names “under-cutting in their bids, we believe the local JV (Gamuda-MMC) still has an edge.”

“As the MRT is funded by the Government, we believe it would like to keep the job largely in the hands of local contractors.

“Furthermore Pemandu (Performance Management and Delivery Unit) had also previously stated that under the Economic Transformation Programme, the awarding of contracts to foreigners would also depend on whether these would have a positive impact on the GNI (gross national income).”

OSK expected Gamuda-MMC to be prequalified for the project, “given Gamuda’s experience with the Penchala Tunnel, Smart Tunnel and Kaohsiung MRT.”

The research house said it expected the award to be made by the end of the first quarter of next year.

What is the criteria?
That maybe the most important question. To who government will awards the project package? The Malaysian government in awarding the jobs will have to weigh whether to go for the cheapest bid or for a higher one by a local player.

“There is no right or wrong, it’s just a matter of priorities,” the industry player said.

Global practices
“In most countries there are mechanisms to prevent foreign bidders from winning jobs, or even bidding. But don’t look at Hong Kong and Singapore, they have different economic models,” an industry player said. The barrier to entry for foreign companies can take many forms, from simple methods such as work permits or visas to more complex mechanisms.

In the European Union (EU) for instance, only EU-based companies are allowed to participate in EU Cohesion Fund projects.

It is the same for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loans, where it is understood that only Japanese companies will benefit from this funding.

Thailand requires that all tenders for the Bangkok MRT Blue Line are 51% led by local contractors.

“In China, a company must be incorporated there, in China, and must have completed at least three jobs. This is a chicken and egg situation. It would be great if local companies gain the expertise and can take their expertise abroad, much like the building of highways,” an industry player said.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Klang Bus Stand to close November 1

KVMRT take note of this article that should be attention to the public. Starting from November 1, iconic Klang bus stand (Pasarama Kota) will cease its operation. All buses currently based over there will be relocated to Pudu Sentral and Jalan Sultan Mohamed.

Klang Bus Stand to cease operations (The Star)

Thursday October 20, 2011

BEGINNING its operation in the 70s to serve the transportation needs of Klang Valley travellers, the Pasarama Kota or better known as the Klang Bus Stand in Kuala Lumpur will be closed from Nov 1 to make way for the construction of the MY Rapid Transit (MRT) project.

All bus services operating from inside the bus terminal will cease operations after the departure for their last trip on Oct 31 and begin operating from new designated locations the following day.

One bus company operating from Jalan Sultan outside Pasarama Kota will also relocate its operations.

Iconic structure: The Klang Bus Stand will soon make way for  the MRT project

All passengers heading to Klang, Port Klang and Banting will have to board their buses at Pudu Sentral (formerly known as Puduraya) beginning Nov 1, after the relocation.

These buses will not be allowed to pick up passengers from any other bus stop in the city centre.

The closure of Pasarama Kota is to facilitate the construction of the new underground Pasar Seni MRT station.

The new MRT station will integrate with the existing Pasar Seni LRT station where passengers can switch from the LRT to the MRT and vice-versa without needing to leave the system or buy new tickets.

Upon completion of the MRT project in 2016, a new bus terminal is expected to be constructed at this location.


Built in the 1970s, the Klang bus station has changed different managements throughout resulting in one reason why it was not properly developed.

However, the symbolic bus stand was an important hub that provided intracity transportation for routes in and around the Klang Valley.

A Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) spokesman said it would release further details concerning the relocation in the weeks to come.

SPAD also apologises for any inconvenience caused to commuters and the public.

Commuters can from the respective bus operators — RapidKL: 03-7885 2585, Cityliner: 03-5512 9434 and Causeway Link: 07-360 2244.

Other related news:
Transport operators, commuters unhappy over Klang Bus Stand closure (Malay Mail)

Monday, October 17, 2011

KTM will pay for delays

KTM will pay for delays (The Star)

By Farah Fazanna Zulzaha
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

Tuesday October 18, 2011

PETALING JAYA: To repair its battered image of late trains, KTM Komuter will give its passengers a full refund for trips that are delayed by more than 30 minutes.

“We had revised the policy since last year although not many people are aware of this,” said KTM Komuter acting general manager Mohd Hider Yusoff.

Previously, the rail company gave refunds only when trains were delayed by more than two hours.

“We are committed to providing good service to our customers. If we can't get the trains to be on time, we are giving the option for a refund,” he said.

While this is a better deal than offered by some airlines, travellers are not impressed, saying “it is not about the money”.

Most airlines have rules for cancelled and delayed flights caused by the company but often ask passengers to make appeals for compensation.

Depending on the flight distance and length of delay, some airlines provide passengers with free meals, drinks and compensation up to a stipulated amount, among others.

Nevertheless, like the plane passengers, train commuters here said while refunds were acceptable, they just wanted to get to their destinations on time.

HR executive Izzaty Halim, 23, said: “When they have train problems, perhaps, as an alternative, the company can provide shuttle buses or other alternative means of transportation.”

Private sector worker Fatin Aqila Abdul Mutalib, 23, said:“They should give more attention to upgrading services. The refund is an easy way out.”

Universiti Teknologi Mara Nur Haniz Nor, 21, said: “It would be better for the trains to be on time. Even if I ask for a refund, I would have been late.”

HELP University student Kavithah Rakwan said: “As an impatient person, I would take the refund and take a cab rather than wait for the train.”

Engineering student Aidilf Nordin, 23, said: “There are insufficient coaches, especially during rush hours. The refunds will not make much difference because I would have still lost at least 30 minutes.”

A frequent commuter, who declined to be named, said: “Last month, I had to wait for an hour. In the end, I took a cab. I would not bother to ask for a refund if that would require me queuing up and result in a further waste of time.”

Another regular said he had experienced frequent delays over the past two months. “Announcements are made over the PA system but most of the time the message cannot be clearly heard.”

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

New ticketing system for KTM

KVMRT has found out photos that put KTM Komuter new ticketing system in details. As such the three divided photos (below) tell whole storyboard.

From it, we can assume that tokens are used for integration between RapidKL Rail (LRT and Monorail) and KTM Komuter. Meanwhile a new magnetic contactless card is for normal KTM Komuter transactions.

On information RapidKL's AFC, click here.





Saturday, September 24, 2011

KTM gets first batch of SCS

KVMRT took this opportunity to compliment KTM who received the first batch of six electric train coaches (SCS) with witness for Transport Minister. This is definitely a reason for commuters to cheer about, soon if not now.

KTM gets first batch of electric train coaches from China (The Star)

Friday September 23, 2011

PORT KLANG: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM) has received the first batch of six electric train coaches from the Transport Ministry.

Its minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the Six-Car-Set (SCS) manufactured by China's Zhu Zhou Electric Locomotives Co Ltd were shipped from Shanghai Port on Sept 13 and reached Westport at 2am yesterday.

“Unloading work began from 8am and was completed at 5pm,” said Kong, who was at the presentation ceremony at Wharf 3, Westport in Port Klang.

He said the coaches were part of the 38 new sets for the KTM Komuter service which are being financed via allocations from the Federal Government under the sixth initiative of the National Key Results Area programme.

“Under this initiative, RM1.894bil has been spent to buy the 38 sets which will help improve the quality of the KTM Komuter service,” Kong said.

He said delivery of the sets would be in batches and completed by May next year.

First batch: Kong (in tie) inspecting one of the electric train coaches in Port Klang Thursday.

“The coaches will undergo operational and security tests before they are deemed safe for use,” he said, adding that it would take one to two months to test each set.

“The sets will be sent to the depot in Batu Gajah Perak for tests. The first train is expected to start service by December.”

Kong said his ministry was optimistic that with the new trains, the schedule of train arrivals could be shortened from 30 minutes to just 10 minutes and the target to increase capacity from 95,000 commuters to between 150,000 and 200,000 would be achieved.

Latest: MyKomuter launched

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

KTM Update: Six-car train sets to arrive

KVMRT take note of this news article about new six-car train sets (SCS) that would arrive at Port Klang on Sept 23. Below are the details and interior views of the new SCS. An exhibit on details of the new Komuter was set up at KL Sentral for public display.

KTMB buys 38 new trains (The Star)

Monday September 19, 2011

KTMB president Dr Aminuddin Adnan, who is aware of the various problems faced by commuters, said they have bought 38 new six-car train sets (SCS) after an allocation of RM1.8bil was pumped in through the National Key Result Area project.

“The first set of SCS is scheduled to arrive at Port Klang on Sept 25.

“Another five more sets will be delivered between November and December, while the remaining 32 are scheduled to be delivered in stages from January to June 2012,” he told StarMetro during an interview recently.

Sleek: A picture of the new six-car train set put up by KTM at KL Sentral for public display.

He said the first batch of SCS would be sent for commissioning and testing by the manufacturer, CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd, and monitored closely by Land Public Transport Commis-sion.

“The tests will include how it responds to our signalling system, functions of braking and door systems as well as realiability of the train,” said Dr Aminuddin, adding that about 95,000 commuters were using the KTM Komuter trains daily.

“To ease congestion, we are using two sets of the Electric Train Services.

“The new trains will enable us to accommodate 150,000 to 200,000 passengers daily,” said Dr Aminuddin, adding that the first batch would only be operational from January 2012 onwards.

KTMB has set up an exhibit on details of the new Komuter at KL Sentral for public display.

Spacious: A picture of the interior of the new six-car train set

Called My Komuter, the train has a design speed of 140km per hour and an operating speed of 120km per hour.

Newly-added features of My Komuter include LCD info screens, LED destination indicator, two coaches for women, priority seating zone, dynamic route map, intercom and CCTV.

KTMB now has 53 stations with the addition of two new ones in Sungai Gadut and Senawang to take passengers from Batu Caves to Sungai Gadut and Tanjung Malim to Port Klang.

KTM Komuter started its services with 64 Electric Multiple Units. On Aug 3, 1995, the first KTM Komuter train began taking passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Rawang. Free trips were offered until Aug 11, 1995.

It began operating commercially between these two destinations and then extended to Salak South on September 1995.

From then on, it gained popularity among commuters, who do not want to be caught in traffic congestion.

It was reported that KTM Komuter contributed RM84.63mil to group revenue in 2006, higher than KTM Intercity’s profit of 70.94mil in the same year.

According to the Transport Ministry’s 2008 statistics, the ridership for the KTM Komuter is about 36.557 million passengers per annum.

However, over the years, its services had deteriorated considerably due to poor maintenance.

Limited spare parts has also resulted in most coaches being left in the depots, thus affecting frequency of service.

Lack of funds and expensive spare parts have also led to the deterioration of service.

Other related stories:
Never-ending struggle
KTMB to add new features for wait time and security


New features of My Komuter

For more pictures of the new My Komuter, link is at here.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

MRT Update: Chinatown land acquisition (Update #2)

Jalan Sultan traders to keep buildings after MRT tunnelling finishes (Malaysian Insider)
By Shannon Teoh

August 23, 2011

A view of the Jalan Sultan area where some buildings had been earmarked for demolition. — Picture by Jack Ooi

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — The 31 landowners in Chinatown will be able to hold on to their property after the government agreed to reinforce their buildings before allowing them to return after tunnelling for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) under their shops is completed.

Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek told reporters that an agreement in principle had been reached after a one-hour meeting this afternoon with the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and most of the 31 traders in Jalan Sultan in the capital.

“The government will proceed with acquisition but also strengthen the buildings that are affected for safety of the household,” the MCA president said.

The century-old Chinatown was planned for demolition due to the RM50 billion KVMRT project but loud protests from residents, who say they were informed less than two weeks ago, have forced the government to backtrack over plans to redevelop the tourist attraction.

The 31 landowners will now be able to return to their buildings after tunnelling, expecting to take six months, is completed.

When quizzed by reporters, the former health minister said the government has in principle agreed to undertake the costs of the solution but that “details will be discussed. The cost of compensation and strengthening needs to be worked out.”

At a press conference after the meeting, Lee Shan Too, president of the Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association located in Jalan Sultan, also told reporters that stratum titles under the National Land Code were the main option being considered.

A 1990 amendment to the National Land Code 1965 allows for the acquisition of underground land without affecting the property on the surface.

However, both Dr Chua and the traders insisted that legal details will be discussed later.

“Our final stand is that the land will remain with us and Chinatown will be intact,” said Thomas Tan, who owns the 73-year-old Lok Ann Hotel on the street.

“It is a win-win situation which will save the identity of Chinatown,” said Dr Chua.

Lee also said that the solution would reduce the government’s expenditure as “acquiring all our land titles would cost hundreds of millions” of ringgit.

Earlier today, state-owned Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) said that it will explore the use of stratum titles for property owners affected by tunnelling for the KVMRT.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the government may still invoke the Land Acquisition Act to acquire the land titles before releasing the surface land back to the landowners if any of the 31 were to hold out against signing over the underground portion of their land.

A source said that the 31 buildings affected could withstand tunnelling if they were strengthened as they were only located within a “safety buffer” at a 45-degree angle from the actual tunnel itself which would run directly under Jalan Sultan.

Other news:
KL Chinatown traders can stay on (The Star)

By Yuen Meikeng

Tuesday August 23, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: The 31 shop lots near Jalan Sultan will not be demolished for the construction of the Klang Valley My Rapid Transit (MRT) project, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.

He said the shops would remain as they are an important part of KL Chinatown's identity.

"During the six months of constructing the MRT tunnel underneath the area, the occupants will have to evacuate their property but will be told to return after that.

"Buildings affected by the construction will be strengthened," he told reporters after attending a dialogue between the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), representatives of the Jalan Sultan traders and others at the SPAD headquarters here Tuesday.

Monday, August 22, 2011

MRT to acquire part of KL’s Bukit Bintang

MRT to grab part of KL’s Bukit Bintang shopping district (Malaysian Insider)

By Boo Su-Lyn

August 22, 2011

A general view of the proposed site for the Bukit Bintang MRT station

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Twenty lots in the capital city’s main shopping district, Bukit Bintang, will be acquired for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to make way for tunnelling works and an underground station, operator Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana) said today.

Prasarana project development director Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff said the lots along Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi, Jalan Jati, Jalan Inai, Jalan Kamuning, Jalan Kampung and Jalan Utara would be acquired under the Land Acquisition Act 1960.

They include two fast-food restaurants — McDonalds and KFC — a Porsche car showroom, a batik gallery, a private club, offices and residential properties, landowners told The Malaysian Insider today.

Jason Ng, who said nine of his lots would be acquired, asked why landowners were not allowed to keep their properties above the underground tunnel running from the Bukit Bintang Central to the Pasar Rakyat stations.

The business legal advisor pointed out that the National Land Code 1965, which was amended in 1990, allowed the acquisition of underground land without affecting surface property.

“You’re robbing people and paying Prasarana or SPAD (Land Public Transport Commission). You’re going to acquire my land to build activities later on,” said Ng at the briefing.

Zulkifli, however, denied that the government would develop the prime land in the Golden Triangle, saying: “We can’t do anything because of the safety of the tunnel.”

Batik gallery owner Colin Yong told reporters that the landowners received notices under Section 8 of the Land Acquisition Act early this month.

“My family owned (this business) for 30 over years,” he said.

But Zulkifli stressed that the government was trying to minimise land acquisition by stacking the platforms of the underground Bukit Bintang Central station.

Prasarana also announced recently that land in Jalan Sultan would be acquired despite opposition from the Chinatown community who called it a heritage area.

According to Prasarana, construction on the Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) line would begin in November this year.

The multi-billion ringgit project is expected to be completed in 2016 and will begin operations in January 2017.

The SBK line will cover a distance of 51km, of which 9.5km will be underground. Seven of the 31 stations from Semantan to Maluri will also be underground.

More to come



View Larger Map

Previous Alignment
Bukit Bintang East

Bukit Bintang West

Thursday, August 18, 2011

KTM Update: KTM services for Raya

KTM increases services for Raya (The Star)

Thursday August 18, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: KTM Bhd is offering an additional 4,404 tickets for its train services to East Coast destinations with immediate effect.

KTM president Dr Aminuddin Adnan said KTM Intercity is offering 129,012 tickets for the North, South and Central regions for sale from Aug 20 to Sept 10.

As of Monday, 69,017 tickets have been sold, he said.

“We will try to get more coaches and will update the public,” he said after distributing bubur lambuk (spiced rice porridge) to passengers at KL Sentral earlier this week. — Bernama

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

SPAD to meet with Jln Sultan folk

SPAD to meet with Jln Sultan folk affected by MRT project (The Star)

By Ng Cheng Yee
chengyee@thestar.com.my

Wednesday August 17, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: A meeting will be arranged between Jalan Sultan shop owners and traders affected in the land acquisition for the proposed My Rapid Transit (MRT) project and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He said the owners and traders had appealed for their views and concerns to be heard by the relevant parties in the acquisition exercise, which will be carried out by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad.

“The traders have been doing business in the area for a long time and to ask them to move out of their premises will mean losing their source of income,” he told reporters after meeting some of the affected traders yesterday.

Dr Chua said he had brought up the land acquisition issue at the National Economic Council meeting on Monday.

Looking for options: Dr Chua (second from left) listening to (from left) Chan Kwok Chin, 58, Tan Yik Chong, 78, Steven Yong, 65, and Judy’s views at a dialogue session with the Jalan Sultan shop owners and traders in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Behind them is shop owner Daniel Wong, 43.

SPAD, he added, had agreed to consider the possibility of a realignment to the proposed MRT line.

“The SPAD chief executive officer (Mohd Nur Kamal) has agreed that it will consider the possibility of a realignment so that the project can be carried out without affecting any of the shops or traders there,” he added.

Dr Chua also urged the affected owners and traders to prepare a memorandum, which would include all their dissatisfaction and complaints against the project.

He said the first option was to push for a realignment of the track.

“The second option is for the traders to move out during the project's construction but be given priority to move back into the area to resume business once it is completed,” he said.

Judy Tan, 50, whose family owns the Lok Ann Hotel in the area, said it was only logical if the traders were asked to evacuate their buildings during the project's construction.

“They cannot just simply acquire our land as they cannot put a price on our building, which is 70 years old.

“We are fine if we are only asked to evacuate for a few years for the project to be carried out but it is illogical for them to take our land as the project involves underground works,” she said.

Choy Foong Meng, 55, who has owned a festival decoration business in the area for 16 years, said most traders had been there for a long time.

“If we were to move out, where are we supposed to relocate? This will only cause more hardship to us,” she said.

KVMRT: Wouldn't you find it funny when foreigners concentrated in Petaling Street have their owners Finally spoke up. It has been a norm for foreigners (Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Indonesians) to manned their business operations there, and some of them are owners. The real issue is when their shops/lots are to be acquired, those China-man make fuss out of nothing.

As government requested Petaling Street aka. KL Chinatown to be local centric only, they put lame excuses to hire foreigners and it's already losing its heritage value and KLites feel unsecured to go to Petaling Street.

As far we are concerned, realignment is very impossible due to optimization of cost and route. However, SPAD agree to look into it and resolve the issue with those affected.

No bus service to Seremban housing areas

Company stops bus service to three housing estates in Seremban (The Star)

Story and photo by Charles Fernandez
rochdaryl@gmail.com

Wednesday August 17

RESIDENTS in Taman Permai, Taman Duyung and Taman Oakland have been left stranded as the bus service to the residential areas has stopped since May 30.

They now have to pay more in taxi fare to reach to their destinations such the schools, hospital and market.

The bus company, Seremban Town Service (STS), which serves the residential areas hourly, has stopped the service because of poor passenger load.

Mary Theresa, 82, who works in Kemayan Square, now walks 2km to her working place if she fails to flag down a taxi.

“It used to cost me just a ringgit by bus but now I have to fork out RM8 for a taxi or RM2 if I am able to share the fare with three others.

“I am only a casual worker and cannot afford to travel by taxi,” said Theresa from Taman Permai I.

Chin Ah Teng, 65, from Taman Permai II, said he had missed out on his hospital appointment once waiting for the bus because he did not know the service had stopped.

Frustrated: Residents waiting at the bus stop in Taman Permai

I to flag down passing taxis.

Chin said last month he called for the taxi and was charged RM8 for a one-way trip to the hospital and an additional RM2 for the call charges.

“Imagine having to fork out RM18 just for a trip to the hospital and back. This is a financial burden for senior citizens,” he said.

K. Vijayakumari, 59, said most of the residents in Taman Permai were middle-class families who were without their own transport and had to depend on the bus service.

However, Mary Josephine, 55, and Ng Ah Siew, 61, have been offering to send residents if they are heading to town in the morning and appealed to the authorities to solve the transport issue soon because school children are also affected.

“This should be a social responsibility by the bus company. It is a pity to see children walking to school for the past two months,” said Josephine.

SMK ACS student Hoo Kar Ken, 16, said it was easier going to school than coming back unless he shared a taxi with others heading in the same direction.

“The fare used to be 60sen one way by bus but it is three times more now by taxi,” said Hoo.

Bukit Kepayang assemblyman Cha Kee Chin said STS should be more considerate towards the residents and resume service.

Cha said he had contacted the bus company but was told that the services would resume by the end of July.

“It is August now and there is a long silence from the bus operator. I have had discussions with City Liner and they have promised to look into my request,” added Cha.

Cha said he had even raised the matter at the state assembly on Monday as the residents especially the senior citizens and school children have been inconvenienced for too long and the mentri besar had promised to look into the problem.

He also pointed out that since the Seremban Municipal Council was subsidising the bus company servicing residents in Nilai and Pajam, they could also extend the same privilege to the residents in these areas.

KVMRT: All after stage bus (bas henti henti) saga never ends here. We need to restructuring the industry wholly.

Updates: No more bus service in Seremban

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

28 shortlisted for MRT jobs

Prasarana to start calling tenders next month (The Star)

PETALING JAYA: Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana) has shortlisted 28 individual and joint-venture (JV) companies that are eligible to bid for various elevated civil works, stations and depot packages under the multi-billion ringgit My Rapid Transit (MRT) project.

In a statement issued yesterday, Prasarana group managing director Shahril Mokhtar said tenders for these packages would be called in stages starting from next month until December 2012.

“Tenders for the first stage, which involve two civil works packages, will be issued early next month,” Shahril said.


Shahril: ‘Tenders for the first stage will be issued early next month.’
The two packages are a 5.4km stretch from Taman Bukit Ria to Plaza Phoenix in Cheras and a 5.2km stretch from Taman Suntex to Bandar Tun Hussein Onn.

There are 18 works packages with eight packages under elevated civil works, eight for elevated station works and two packages for depot. These works packages are divided into two categories open and bumiputra.

In choosing the qualifying contractors, applicants were evaluated based on their financial capabilities, track record, experiences, existing management staff and key personnel, average annual construction turnover in the last five years, existing plant and equipment as well as their existing quality, safety, health and environment practices.

For JV submissions, technical and financial evaluations were carried out on the individual companies. The total score of their technical and financial points were combined based on their equity percentage.

The pre-qualification exercise for the MRT project attracted a strong response, with 286 companies purchasing the tender document and 195 companies submitting their applications.

The MRT is the country's biggest infrastructure project to date and part of the Greater Klang Valley Master Plan. It will be integrated with the existing light-rail transit, KL Monorail and KTM services.

Cutting through the city centre from Sungai Buloh to Kajang, the MRT will run for about 51km. It will be serviced by 27 elevated stations and seven underground stations, and depots at Sungai Buloh and Kajang.

Out of the 51km route, 9.5km will be underground. Shahril said tenders for the other works packages would announced in due course.


Thursday, August 11, 2011

MRT logo design contest winners

MRT Logo Contest Winners

We are pleased to announce the top 21 winners of the MRT Logo contest. All submissions were interesting and decision making was hard for us. The results were arrived at after rigorous verification of votes and identity verification by telephone calls. In the instances of ties, the respective logo rationale submitted was used as a tie breaker. We are much honored to have had such an overwhelming response to the contest. It is our sincere wish to continue engaging all the participants for more upcoming activities.

All winners shall be notified by an email about the process of collecting their respective prizes. Please note that the published list is as per our judges’ decision and discretion, therefore final.






For details on winners, click MRT Contest

Sunday, August 7, 2011

New trains to cut KTM Komuter waiting time

New trains expected to cut waiting time at KTM Komuter lines (The Star)

KUALA LUMPUR: When the newly-acquired trains from CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive from China are put into service for the KTM Komuter lines by the end of this year, train commuters can look forward to shorter waiting times during peak hours.

Commuters on the Rawang-Sungai Gadut, Batu Caves-Port Klang, Sentul-Port Klang and Batu Caves-Rawang routes will benefit from the additional capacity from the trains, technically known as electric multiple units or EMUs.

The first of the 38 EMUs will arrive next month and will be tested before they are put into service.

About 100,000 commuters jam KTM Komuter trains daily during weekdays to travel in about 20 sets of EMUs of three cars each available to them.

From a schedule of 15-minute intervals at one time, which theoretically required at least 36 EMUs to be provided each day by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB), this has since slowed down to 20-minute intervals or, which theoretically means 25 EMUs.

But KTMB does not even have the luxury of 25 EMUs.

Since September 2009, their availability has been down to around 21 EMUs daily because of broken down trains that have not been repaired from 62 EMUs at one time.

On bad and unfortunate days, this can sink to a precariously low of 15 to 18 EMUs per day.

Hence, delays of 40 minutes or more on certain sectors are not uncommon with KTM Komuter trains always packed like sardines during weekdays.

This also amplifies the fact that there is no shortage of passengers for KTM Komuter trains in view of its relatively cheap cost as it only costs RM6 from KL Sentral to Seremban.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha told Bernama that the government had decided to improve the situation through a number of initiatives under the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) for public transport.

The NKRA initiatives were launched in July 2009 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as part of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) towards achieving Vision 2020 and improving the government's service delivery to the people.

Besides improving capacity, Kong said the measures were also to raise the daily ridership to 600,000 public transport commuters in the Klang Valley by the end of 2012.

This target, he said, was 2.5 times more than the current ridership.

"It's a tall order for us but we are working hard to achieve our target," Kong said.

The current daily ridership is about 240,000 for public transport in the Klang Valley, estimated to represent 10 to 12 per cent of the total population in the country's busiest urban centre.

Kong explained that the Klang Valley's public transport services had already been filled to the brim, particularly for rail services (KTM Komuter, RapidKL, LRT and Monorail).

Such a pressing situation demanded the creation of an additional capacity for 360,000 more people to migrate to public transport from private vehicles, he said.

Of the potential increase, 58 percent or 207,000 will be for rail and 42 percent or 153,000 will be for buses.

Rail will be the biggest contributor, with KTM Komuter contributing around 95,000 passengers, the Kelana Jaya LRT line 62,000 and the Ampang LRT line 33,000.

The first step towards improving capacity took place at the end of 2010 when new four-car train sets were introduced on the Kelana Jaya LRT line, the most congested rail line in the Klang Valley, from the previous two-car train sets.

The initiative was to secure "quick wins" for the people's benefit under the NKRA for urban public transport. - Bernama

Other news:
Letters: No end of problems with KTM Komuter

Share swap AirAsia and MAS

Share swap deal: AirAsia's Fernandes to gain 20% stake in MAS (The Star)

Sunday August 7, 2011

By Wong Sai Wan
saiwan@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia will swap shares in a surprise deal which will see Tan Sri Tony Fernandes becoming the single biggest shareholder.

Khazanah Nasional Bhd, which owns over 69% of MAS, is said to have concluded negotiations with Fernandes to come up with a deal to save the national carrier.

Sources said the deal, which was struck last week after negotiations over the past year, became urgent after MAS' poor showing in the last two quarters.

Fernandes is set to get 20% of MAS equity under the deal that is to be signed next week, with some sources saying it has already received the Government's approval and could be inked by tomorrow.

Industry players expressed surprise at the deal because of past animosity between the management of the two airlines.

Those who were aware of the negotiations were also surprised at the speed at which it was concluded.

At present, Khazanah, a strategic investment company, holds about 69% stake in MAS, and under the deal with Tune Air Sdn Bhd, it will get a similar stake in AirAsia. Fernandes and his co-founder partner Datuk Kamarudin Meranun hold 26.28% in the world's biggest budget airline.

Fernandes declined to comment when asked about the deal.

Insiders in both airlines confirmed that the negotiations concentrated on the synergy such a share swap would bring.

First, there will be rationalising of routes. Between them, the two airlines cover most of the lucrative routes from Asia to Europe.

Second, when they are seen as a single unit, their bargaining power with airports and aircraft manufacturers will double, said a source close to the deal.

He pointed to the recent move to merge SapuraCrest Petroleum and Kencana Petro-leum via a share swap as an example for the AirAsia-MAS deal.

Insiders said it was unlikely the two airlines would merge into a single unit, but would operate though separate managements at operational level, while sharing common directors and policies.

Malaysia will get the best of both worlds a premier full-service carrier in MAS and the best budget carrier in AirAsia.

“They have been competing with each other for too long, and it's time to work together because there is more than enough to go around,” said a senior government official.

The official added that the “feud” between the two had been going on for 10 years since Fernandes and others took over the ailing AirAsia from DRB Hicom.

AirAsia is twice as big as MAS in terms of market capitalisation. MAS is worth about RM5.3bil, while Fernandes' outfit is worth slightly more than RM11bil.

AirAsia stocks closed at RM3.95 per share yesterday while MAS' was at RM1.60.

A news portal, The Malaysian Insider, which broke the story of the deal yesterday, reported that Fernandes would likely appoint Khazanah's executive director of investments Mohd Rashdan Mohd Yusof as chief operating officer after the share swap. Rashdan already sits on the MAS board.

Sources said no decision was made about the position of MAS CEO Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin.

MAS recorded a first quarter net loss of RM242.3mil against a profit of RM310.6mil in the same period last year. Analysts expect the national carrier to make full-year operating losses due to high fuel costs and falling yields.

In contrast, AirAsia recorded a first quarter profit of RM171.9mil for this year and a record RM1.5bil in profits for 2010.

Sources said the merger would also force the two airlines to take stock of their future aircraft purchases if they are to enjoy any synergy.

AirAsia purchased 200 Airbus A320 aircraft earlier this year with an option to buy another 100, while MAS was set to make a decision on the replacement aircraft for its Boeing 747 and 777 fleet, which is more than 20 years old.

Other news: MAS offers extra flights for Hari Raya and Merdeka holidays

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Raya bus, train tickets nearly sold out

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 -- Train tickets to east coast destinations for the Aidilfitri holidays have been sold out while tickets for the north and south destinations are still available.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) Corporate Communications senior officer Mohd Fazil Ismail said KTMB was providing a total of 124,608 tickets in the three directions for the festive season.

He said the number of additional coaches for east cost routes would be announced next week.

Meanwhile, a Bernama survey found that bus tickets to Kuala Terengganu by the Mara Liner bus service and to Kelantan by Adik Beradik Express at Hentian Putra have been sold out.

Adik Beradik Express bus ticket seller, Siti Zubaidah Ismail, 26, said people started to buy bus tickets to Kelantan since July 26 and the company planned to provide additional buses.

At the Jalan Duta Bus Terminal, Mara Liner bus service ticket seller, Mohd Sobri Mohd Shahid, 25, said tickets to the north destinations from Aug 25 to 27 had been sold out while tickes were still available on Aug 28 and 29 to certain destinations only, including Kuala Nerang and Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Pancaran Matahari Express bus ticket seller, Hanizah Rafian, 46, said people could still get tickets to the north destinations at their counters.

At Hentian Puduraya, Konsortium Express Bus Kuala Lumpur's branch manager, Chia Nyi Foo said nearly 90 per cent of bus tickets to Taiping, Johor Baharu and Perlis had been sold.

"Since July 11, people began to buy tickets... we will consider having additional buses for the safety of our passengers," she said.
--Bernama

Related stories:
Express buses to be inspected twice during JPJ Hari Raya operation

MRT acquisition notice for Chinatown

Chinatown traders cry foul over shock MRT acquisition notice (Malaysian Insider)

By Melissa Chi and Tatjana Pupol

August 06, 2011

Shop owners and traders in Chinatown meet to discuss the Klang Valley MRT project. - Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Shop owners and traders in Chinatown are reeling from shock as a number of them received land acquisition notices over the course of this week, despite being assured previously that Chinatown will not be affected by the Klang Valley MRT (KLMRT) project.

However, Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief development officer Azmi Abdul Aziz has pointed out that the number of properties to be acquired to make way for the multibillion ringgit rail project had been reduced by 50 per cent.

He explained that 70 per cent of the 51km line would now occupy road reserves while the remaining 30 per cent would encroach into private properties.

“We have made an agreement with the parties involved and they have accepted that the line will cut through their property,” he had said.

Lee Wai Cheng, who owns a shop lot and runs Yook Woo Hin Restaurant on Jalan Petaling, told The Malaysian Insider that she had just received the notice yesterday. The restaurant was founded in 1928 by her grandfather.

“Engineers had told us there is no need for the government to acquire our land.

“Judging from the plan, it looks like a road-widening exercise,” she said, adding that she suspects it was for the 100-storey tower project.

The 50-year-old claimed that the KL City Plan 2020 had included Chinatown as one of their heritage site in their most recent draft.

Choy Foong Meng, who owns Yi Xin Craft and Gifts Sdn Bhd in a rented shop lot on Jalan Sultan for the past 15 years, said the last minute notice has affected their lives.

“They should have told us earlier. The businesses support everyone of us here,” she said, adding that there needs to be proper compensation given by the government.

“This is very cruel of disrespectful of them. They should consider how many people’s lives they are affecting.

“Why can’t they come clean with us and tell us what they want. At least we know how to plan,” the 55-year-old said.

Choy said if the government has such power to just take any property, there is no meaning to the word “freehold” anymore, adding that a number of the land affected were freehold.

The affected areas previously announced are Section 4 and 6 of Kota Damansara; Pelangi Damansara condominium; Taman Tun Dr Ismail; Damansara Utama; Section 17/52 Petaling Jaya; Bukit Bandaraya; Jalan Bukit Ledang; Bukit Damansara; Taman Desa Aman; Taman Connaught; and Taman Koperasi. Chinatown was not mentioned.

The KVMRT project is considered the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Malaysia and the first phase alone has been estimated to cost upwards of RM20 billion.

Steven Yong, 65, who runs Lok Ann Hotel explains which areas are affected.— Picture by Choo Choy May

Steven Yong, 65, had just recently taken over Lok Ann Hotel, which is popular among backpackers, said it is unfair to him for the government to give such a short notice.
The building owned by Madam Tan, 68, had started running the hotel since the 1930s and is being managed by the 4th generation now.

She said she’s in “terrible shock” by the news.

“I’ve been going to the public viewing of the MRT project and for the three times I’ve been there, I’ve been told Chinatown will not be affected as the line will be underground,” she said.

Tan said an employee in UO Superstore, better known as Ocean, had told her that they have to stop doing business by September 30 and have to clear out the shop by October. The building will be acquired as well.

The Malaysian Insider understands that more than 50 stalls in Chinatown will be affected.

Chong Kah Fatt, 33, whose family owns a shop on Jalan Sultan since 1983, told The Malaysian Insider the Land and Mines Director-General had said in the preperty section of the English daily The Star’s question and answer article that lands will not be acquired if the MRT line runs underground.

Khong Kim Lyew, 63, who is a tailor and rents a shop on Jalan Sultan, told The Malaysian Insider that the business was started by his grandfather almost for a century ago.

“Everybody should be worried here. We were born and bred here, it has sentimental values. Four generations of my family were born and bred here and if this comes to an end, it will be devastating,” he said.

Khong said while he had not received any notices yet, there were officers from the Ministry of Finance who had came with a floor plan and made measurements of his shop but he has yet to hear from them.

The shop owners and tenants are bringing in their own valuers so they can have their own valuation report during their individual hearing with the Department of Director General of Land and Mines (KPTG).

The issue of land acquisition is governed by the Land Acquisition Act 1960 and the National Land Code and the body that is responsible for the issuance of notices pertaining to land acquisition is the KPTG.

The procedures for land acquisition as outlined under Section 4 of the law.

According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the project’s original alignment, a total of 473 lots of land totalling 97 hectares were set to make way for the rail line, in areas as diverse as upscale as Taman Tun Dr Ismail here and Malay reserve land along the rail line.

Of the lots that are set to be acquired, 103 are located within the Sungai Buloh-Semantan stretch, 163 along the underground section between Semantan and Maluri in Kuala Lumpur, and 207 along the Maluri-Kajang segment.

Earthwork formally kicked off a month ago on July 8 on the MRT’s first line from Sungai Buloh to Kajang (SBK) but transport authorities have admitted they have yet to pin a total cost for the project, which has been described as the country’s most expensive ever construction project.

The shop owners and traders affected will be meeting Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun here on August 9 to discuss their options and will be meeting with the project’s owner and operator Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad representatives on August 11.

KVMRT: We certainly hope that SPAD and Prasarana can make immediate meeting with those who are affected. So far, we still wait for more details.

More news updates:
Acquisition is for people’s safety, says expert (The Star)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

KTM ticket for raya sold out

Train tickets to East Coast sold out

KUALA LUMPUR: Tickets for the KTM Intercity service to the East Coast between Aug 26 and 29 have been sold out, KTM Berhad (KTMB) announced Tuesday.

In a statement, KTMB said it would consider having additional coaches for the route and that any announcement on the matter would be made in the middle of this month.

It said tickets for the North, South and central sectors were still available.

There are 62,304 tickets available for trips between Aug 20 and 30, of which 27,990 tickets had been sold until 2pm Tuesday, it added.

KTM said the remaining 34,314 tickets could be bought at any KTM Intercity counters.

It also said tickets for certain routes on certain dates were also sold out.

They are for the Kuala Lumpur-Hatyai (Ekspres Senandung Langkawi No 20) for travelling on Aug 26 to 28; Hatyai-Kuala Lumpur (Ekspres Senandung Langkawi No 21) for Aug 25-26 and Kuala Lumpur-Tumpat (Ekspres Senandung Wau No 28), for Aug 25 to 29.

For the Singapore-Tumpat route, tickets for the Ekspres Sinaran Timur No 14 on Aug 25 to 29 and the Ekspres Sinaran Timur No 26 for travelling on Aug 24 to 29 are also sold out. - Bernama

Monday, July 25, 2011

Emergency Response Procedure (ERP) Exercise by RapidKL

Emergency Response Plan (ERP) took place at LRT Sg Besi station 2345 hrs.
An exercise of emergency situation to cordinate the emergency respond agency n RapidKL staff in managing the situation.

On the emergency drill, Bukhari said the programme was carried out in collaboration with police, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital. The drill's scenario was a fire incident.

"This is the first exercise this year," he said, adding that it involved 300 personnel altogether.

"We are planning another drill, at the Kelana Jaya LRT in September," he added.

RapidKL also operates the RapidKL bus service as well as feeder bus service.










Other related stories:

RapidKL suffers RM10mil losses due to cable theft (The Star)

KUALA LUMPUR: RapidKL, the operator of the capital city's two light rail transit (LRT) systems, suffered about RM10mil in losses during the first half of this year due to cable theft.

Bukhari Mohamed, general manager, Rail Operations Division, said so far 20 cable theft cases were reported in LRT lines, especially in Ampang and Sri Petaling.

Last year, the company lost RM15mil due to cable losses which had also affected rail operations, particularly in the Ampang line, he told the media here after taking part in the 2011 emergency drill at Sungai Besi LRT, which ended at 1am on Sunday.

"These intrusions affected LRT operations in terms of journey, speed and travel interval," he said.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Ampang Line to be disabled-friendly

LRT stations to have disabled-friendly facilities (The Star)

Saturday July 23, 2011

By Fazleena Aziz
fazleena@thestar.com.my

Photo by Kevin Tan


THE LRT stations along the Ampang Line are now being upgraded and refurbished to make them more accessible and convenient for commuters.

The stations will have ramps, lifts, rain protectors, surau, toilets, tactile pavement and disabled-friendly features.

At present only the Kelana Jaya station is disabled-friendly while the Ampang station is being upgraded in phases.

The move by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd comes under the National Key Result Areas initiative to increase public convenience.


Convenient: Richard Arnold from Euro Asia Access Solutions showing how people in wheelchairs can access the platform lift.

Stations like Plaza Rakyat, Cahaya, Cempaka, Pandan Jaya and Pandah Indah have already been upgraded in March.

Work at the stations in Maluri and Miharja are scheduled will be completed in September, while the ones in Chan Sow Lin, Pudu, Sentul, Sentul Timur, Salak Selatan, Bandar Tun Razak, Sungai Besi, Bukit Jalil and Seri Petaling are scheduled to be completed in December.

The stations in Bandaraya, Sultan Ismail and PWTC are scheduled to be completed in October while Ampang and Bandar Tasik Selatan should be completed by January next year. The total cost of the upgrading work is RM60mil.

Prasarana group director (infrastructure development) Nor Hassan Ismail said there were obstacles in the work being carried out because operations of the stations could not be affected.

“We have to relocate lifts because of utility cables, hence the design has to be modified accordingly.

“We will also include the integration of the Masjid Jamek, Titiwangsa, and Hang Tuah stations. At present, we have workers helping the disabled when boarding and disembarking the trains.

“We hope the ridership will increase as we are able to cater up to 33,000 passengers per hour, which is almost at the MRT level,” he said.

He added that they had about 15,000 disabled people using the service based on the sale of tickets.

Nor Hassan said the Ampang station was not disabled-friendly probably due to cost.

He said there was at least RM1bil in difference between the cost of the Kelana Jaya and Ampang Line.

Prasarana had taken over the Star LRT and Putra Line in 2002 and renamed them in 2005 with RapidKL as the operator.

The Ampang Line began its operations in 1996 and has 25 stations covering 27km. It has about 170,000 ridership during weekdays.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

My Rapid Transit (MRT) station design

MY Rapid Transit (MRT) has unveiled the station view of Sg. Buloh - Kajang line (SBK) recently. The videos below show how the seamless integration is done and bus feeder services.


Kajang station view


KL Sentral station (interchange to KTM Komuter, Kelana Jaya Line, ERL and KL Monorail)


Maluri station (interchange to Ampang Line)


Bukit Bintang Central station with interchange to KL Monorail

Manager from Singapore for MRT project

Prasarana to have manager from Singapore for MRT project (The Star)

Thursday July 21, 2011

By Sharidan M. Ali
sharidan@thestar.com.my


PETALING JAYA: A high-ranking individual from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) will soon be hired to play an active role in the project management of the planned multi-billion-ringgit mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Malaysia, sources said.

According to sources, the official is expected to join Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, the owner of the MRT project, now known as My Rapid Transit.

“The project manager is expected to join Prasarana’s MRT project team and will work with the project delivery partner (PDP), who will manage the construction of the project for Prasarana.

“So the project manager is only an addition to the present Prasarana’s MRT project team,” sources told StarBiz.

Over the weekend, a business weekly had speculated that the MRT would have a new project manager who had been involved in Singapore’s MRT project.

The sources also told StarBiz that the roles of Prasarana, the PDP and Land Public Transport Commission in the project remained intact.

The MRT’s PDP is MMC-Gamuda Joint Venture Sdn Bhd, in which Gamuda Bhd and MMC Corp Bhd hold equal shareholdings and will be responsible for managing the project and its cost.

“The additional person, if any, is just to add more expertise to the implementation of the project and not to take over anybody’s role,” sources said.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the MRT was held early this month and the physical construction is scheduled to begin by the year-end for completion in 2016. The launch revealed the final alignment of the 51km Sungai Buloh-Kajang line, of which 9.5km will be underground. The line will have 31 stations.

The final alignment not only reduced land acquisition cost, has led to better integration with existing rail network and reduced the number of stations, but has also become more cost effective than initially planned.

Although the actual cost of the country’s first MRT system will only be disclosed in September due to a 50% reduction in land acquisition and other tweaks to the initial alignment, estimates have put the price tag for the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line at around RM20bil.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Train services resume at KL station

Train services resume at KL station

Monday July 18, 2011

PETALING JAYA: All train services have resumed their normal schedules beginning 2pm yesterday, after a crane toppled on the roof of a platform at Stesen Kuala Lumpur the day before.

The incident had rendered three platforms impassable.


All clear: The Kuala Lumpur station seen cleared of debris from the crane crash Sunday.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) said in a statement that the bus services to transfer train passengers from Bank Negara station to KL Sentral and from KL Sentral to Bank Negara during the recovery period had been stopped.

“Repair works were completed nine hours ahead of expectation.

“All KTM commuter, KTM Intercity, ETS and Kargo train services have resumed their original schedules,” it said yesterday.

It added that Platforms 1 and 2 of the station had been reopened for the train services.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Interruption at KL Old railway station

KVMRT took note of this announcement from Bernama about a serious disruption of KTM services because of a crane collapse at the Kuala Lumpur rail station.

Thank goodness no one was injured!


The toppled crane at Kuala Lumpur station and the damage to the platform & covering. Image courtesy of NST.

GANGGUAN PERKHIDMATAN TREN DI STESEN KUALA LUMPUR

Kuala Lumpur, 16 Julai 2011 – Semua perkhidmatan tren yang melalui Stesen Kuala Lumpur akan mengalami gangguan ekoran insiden kren terbalik di platfom 4, Stesen Kuala Lumpur di kilometer 387.358 dekat sini, hari ini.

Insiden ini melibatkan kren seberat 60 tan yang sedang melakukan kerja-kerja menanggalkan iklan dan tiang ‘unipole’ oleh kontraktor yang dilantik oleh GANAD Media Sdn Bhd berhampiran platform 4, Stesen Kuala Lumpur. Kren ini gagal menstabilkan kedudukan lalu jatuh merintang ke atas bumbung dan kabel elektrifikasi di platform 4, 3 dan 2 Stesen Kuala Lumpur pada jam 12.44 pagi hari ini. Insiden ini telah menyebabkan laluan di platform 4, 3 dan 2 tidak boleh dilalui oleh tren dan hanya laluan di platform 1 yang bebas dari halangan.

Tiada sebarang kemalangan jiwa yang dilaporkan berlaku. Akibat dari insiden tersebut, beberapa perkhidmatan KTM Berhad telah mengalami gangguan iaitu:

Perkhidmatan KTM Komuter : Perkhidmatan bas disediakan bermula jam 6.00 pagi bagi memindahkan penumpang dari laluan Bank Negara – Kuala Lumpur – KL Sentral dan sebaliknya untuk meneruskan perjalanan ke semua hala yang melalui Stesen Kuala Lumpur. Perkhidmatan bas akan beroperasi sehingga waktu perkhidmatan terakhir iaitu kira-kira jam 11.45 malam.


Perkhidmatan KTM Kargo dan KTM Intercity : Tren akan beroperasi menggunakan satu aliran iaitu menggunakan laluan di platform 1 sahaja dan tren akan diperlahankan apabila melalui kawasan insiden. Dijangka akan berlaku kelewatan ketibaan dan berlepas antara 30 minit hingga satu jam.


Perkhidmatan ETS : Perkhidmatan bagi laluan KL Sentral – Ipoh akan bermula dan tamat di Stesen Sentul manakala bagi perkhidmatan Seremban – Ipoh, perkhidmatan akan ditamatkan di Stesen KL Sentral dan pengguna akan meneruskan perjalanan dari Stesen Sentul. Pengguna ETS boleh menaiki bas yang disediakan untuk ke Stesen bank Negara dan seterusnya meneruskan perjalanan ke Stesen Sentul dengan menggunakan perkhidmatan KTM Komuter. Mereka tidak perlu membeli tiket KTM Komuter dan hanya perlu menunjukkan tiket ETS untuk pengesahan.


Kerja-kerja pengalihan struktur, pembersihan dan pemasangan semula kabel-kabel yang rosak dijangka akan mengambil masa selama dua hari. Perkhidmatan dijangka kembali pulih sepenuhnya pada hari Isnin, 18 Julai 2011.

Insiden yang berlaku adalah sepenuhnya berpunca dari kesalahan pihak ketiga. Sebarang perkembangan terbaharu akan dimaklumkan dari masa ke masa.

KTM Berhad memohon maaf atas sebarang kesulitan yang timbul. Untuk maklumat lanjut, sila hubungi Pusat Khidmat Pelanggan KTMB di 1-300-88-5862 atau laman sesawang www.ktmb.com.my.


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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Hundreds throng Tanjung Pagar to see last train out

Hundreds throng Tanjung Pagar to see last train out (The Star)

Tuesday July 12, 2011

By Desiree Tresa Gasper
desiree@thestar.com.my


SINGAPORE: It was a historic moment with camera lights flashing everywhere, anxious and excited people chattering - some emotionally charged and scores of people lining up for autographs and to pose for the cameras.

The occasion: It was the last day of operations which signalled the closing of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad’s (KTMB) southern most railway station - Tanjung Pagar - in Singapore.

The atmosphere, similar to a rock concert, marked the end of a railway station that started operations 79 years ago.

The handing over of the station was also significant in terms of enhancing bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore, as it was among the long standing issues under the Points of Agreement (POA) between both countries.


Royal ride: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar waving to the people as he prepares to drive the last train out.

At the historic handover on June 30, hundreds of people - with mixed feelings - could be seen taking pictures of the walls, gates and arches of the station.

The occasion was even merrier as the Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar navigated the last train out of the island republic to the shores of Malaysia.

One of the co-pilots of that last train leaving Tanjung Pagar station, Zulhan Saodi, 30, said he had never seen so many people in the station before.

Zulhan, who has been working at the station for the past five years said he was overwhelmed by nostalgic charm of the station and how it had touched the hearts of Malaysians and Sinaporeans.

“I knew that it would be a special day but I never imagined that the scene would be like this,” he said while taking turns posing with crowds of people who were cheering and calling out for him to smile.

At the platform, over 500 people were scrambling to get into the coaches of the last train out.

An excited bunch of “passengers” were also seen carrying signs thanking KTMB and cheering whenever the train sounded its horn.

Others who were not lucky enough to get tickets for the last train out were seen pushing, shoving and tip-toeing to catch a last glimpse of the train before it chugged out of the station.

One lucky passenger - a scientist - David Weiss, from Germany said he was excited to be a part of history.

“I work in Malaysia but when I heard about the hype surrounding the last train out of the Tanjung Pagar station, I knew I had to be here,” said the 56-year-old.

He added that it was thrilling to see the crowds of people waving throughout the journey back to Johor Baru and it was obvious that the train journey meant a lot to them.

“I hope that the Singapore government retain the station as it is clearly etched in the hearts of many,” he said.

To the 500 lucky passengers, there would never be another train out from Tanjung pagar.