Rail integration “shouldn’t be difficult”, says MCA Youth

 

SELANGOR MCA Youth has urged Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook to prioritise the integration of RapidKL and KTM Komuter systems, questioning recent remarks that the task is difficult.

Its chief, Tan Jie Sen, said plans for a fully integrated public transport system in Kuala Lumpur had already been outlined as early as 2017, with a target completion timeline of 2027.

“Given that the target year is just around the corner, why is the minister now suggesting that integration is too difficult to achieve?” he said.

Tan noted that under the previous Barisan Nasional administration, public transport development was treated as a national priority under the National Transformation Plan, with rail expansion and connectivity seen as key drivers of economic growth.

“This raises questions about continuity. Plans that were already in place and beneficial to the rakyat should have been carried forward,” he said.

He questioned the progress made under both the Pakatan Harapan administration in 2018 and the current government, in which Loke continues to serve as Transport Minister.

“Is there a lack of political will, or an unwillingness to acknowledge previous efforts? More importantly, is the ministry providing the direction needed to modernise our public transport system?” he said.

Tan also called on the ministry to address ongoing rail service disruptions, saying commuters are increasingly frustrated.

“The rakyat are already tired of repeated explanations. What they want are concrete improvements and reliable services,” he said.

He added that resolving integration issues and improving service quality should be treated as urgent priorities to restore public confidence in the country’s rail system.

On Tuesday (April 14), Bernama reported Loke as saying that the proposal to integrate the Rapid KL travel pass with the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) commuter service is seen as difficult to implement at present due to the differences in operators, systems and operating costs between the two services.

Anthony Loke Siew Fook (Image: Kosmo Digital)

Loke said the issue of integrating the pass has been discussed for a long time, but its implementation faces several major constraints in terms of operational structure and scope of services.

He explained that the LRT, MRT and monorail services are operated by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, while the commuter service is under the control of KTMB, thus involving two different operators with a non-standard operating system.

Speaking at a press conference on the campaign to use rail to address rising fuel costs, Loke said the difference in travel distance and scale of operations makes the operating cost of commuter services much higher, thus making full integration of the My50 pass with all rail services difficult to implement.

Loke further noted that although KTMB and Prasarana are government-owned companies (GLCs), both still need to cover some of the operating costs to ensure the continuity of services to the people. ‒  Focus Malaysia