I truly marvel at the railway systems in European countries. Having visited Denmark, Sweden and Norway in late-2005 on business trips, and spending the leisure time in between travelling around the countries by train, the extensiveness of the railway network (meaning that even if any particular line is down, you still have options to travel via another route), the punctuality of the trains (down to the minute!), and that there are always enough seats on-board for everyone, never fails to impress me. This is the kind of matured public transport system that the public has come to know and rely on.
Contrast that with Malaysia's LRT（Light Rail Transit) system - and this I can attest to, being a daily commuter. There really are only two main lines serving Kuala Lumpur's city centre, and they are both independently-operated. If ever any line is down, you are stuck. And yes, I have been stuck at the KLCC station after work no less than five times last year. The ticket vending machines reject my money once every four times on average (and, let it be added, I use new banknotes).
And this is the part that really grinds my teeth: The LRT system was really supposed to be the answer to Kuala Lumpur's traffic and public transport woes. Why, then, Mr. Ex-Transport Minister, did you guys build a light system of only two carriages, instead of going the whole hog with a proper 4-5 carriage train system? Did you not envisage the volume of people who would use this as their daily means of transportation in and out of the city? Have you actually tried boarding the LRT at 7:45am on a weekday- where there are, on average, ten persons queuing up at each of the four entrances to the train, and when the train finally arrives, it is so jam-packed that only one person can squeeze his way in?
Instead of spending millions of our taxpayers' hard-earned money on one return trip into space, I suggest you spend it on expanding the railway and public bus networks.
And, if I may add: Mr. Prime Minister, please do not chastise us by doing a dog-and-pony-show trip on board our trains, lamenting on the headlines that the train system is pathetic and that you promise to do something about it... and then retire in March this year. In the first instance, why do you hire a Transport Minister, and then have yourself - instead of him - to ride the trains and experience the Hell we go through everyday?
Contrast that with Malaysia's LRT（Light Rail Transit) system - and this I can attest to, being a daily commuter. There really are only two main lines serving Kuala Lumpur's city centre, and they are both independently-operated. If ever any line is down, you are stuck. And yes, I have been stuck at the KLCC station after work no less than five times last year. The ticket vending machines reject my money once every four times on average (and, let it be added, I use new banknotes).
And this is the part that really grinds my teeth: The LRT system was really supposed to be the answer to Kuala Lumpur's traffic and public transport woes. Why, then, Mr. Ex-Transport Minister, did you guys build a light system of only two carriages, instead of going the whole hog with a proper 4-5 carriage train system? Did you not envisage the volume of people who would use this as their daily means of transportation in and out of the city? Have you actually tried boarding the LRT at 7:45am on a weekday- where there are, on average, ten persons queuing up at each of the four entrances to the train, and when the train finally arrives, it is so jam-packed that only one person can squeeze his way in?
Instead of spending millions of our taxpayers' hard-earned money on one return trip into space, I suggest you spend it on expanding the railway and public bus networks.
And, if I may add: Mr. Prime Minister, please do not chastise us by doing a dog-and-pony-show trip on board our trains, lamenting on the headlines that the train system is pathetic and that you promise to do something about it... and then retire in March this year. In the first instance, why do you hire a Transport Minister, and then have yourself - instead of him - to ride the trains and experience the Hell we go through everyday?
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