THE Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT costing about RM50 billion could be a profitable investment if it leads to a drastic reduction in the number of vehicles on the roads in the Klang Valley.
There will be a proportional decrease in the number of private vehicles as public transport becomes more efficient. Presently, about 500,000 vehicles are sold annually.
If the MRT is successful, this will affect the sales of Proton and Perodua as the number of vehicles sold may be drastically reduced. Will the government accept this?
There is no point investing RM50 billion and not bring down car ownership.
Most families in the Klang Valley have cars as they cannot rely on public transport.
The MRT will make sense if fewer new highways and flyovers are built and roads upgraded as billions of ringgit will be saved and can be used for the MRT, making it a sound investment for the government.
Due to the high cost involved in building the MRT underground, it might have to be limited to certain sections only.
And this means many properties have to be acquired at market price and this will increased the cost of the MRT.
The MRT can only be as good as the feeder service system.
The government should not only rely on buses which are expensive and cause congestion themselves during peak hours but should consider using vans for the feeder service. Vans can carry 10 to 12 passengers, are less expensive, move faster and can even provide door-to-door service in housing estates.
The problem with the LRT and the KTM commuter service is mainly due to poor feeder services which have to addressed by the government for the MRT project.
A feeder service with vans can be owner-operated and will be more reliable.
V. Thomas
Sungai Buloh
KVMRT: We welcomed the feedback by V. Thomas and it was a good argument indeed.
