Malaysia at a standstill on transport matters, says expert

 

The Klang Valley double-tracking project phase 2 should be the government’s priority in an attempt to get people and the economy moving, says Rosli Azad Khan.

PETALING JAYA: The government has not addressed major unresolved problems in the transport sector and this will result in huge losses to the economy, according to transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan.

Rosli, a transport planning consultant, said that in the last 17 months there has been no major improvements in the transport system, which in turn has failed to drive the economic sector.

“I would put issues related to transport as those that drive economic activity, especially logistics and passenger traffic modes,” Rosli said.

He had also expressed disappointment over the reappointment of Wee Ka Siong as transport minister as he had held the same position in the Muhyddin Yassin government and had not addressed the issue.

“If a football team fails to win any games, I would expect a new team to be formed. The coach and captain ought to be replaced. Retaining them will not change the game strategy, so we can expect the same results,” he said.

Kulim airport not a priority

One of the major unresolved issues Rosli commented on was Kedah’s Kulim International Airport (KXP) which was expected to cost approximately RM1.6 billion in just its first phase of construction.

Rosli Azad Khan.

First planned in 2014, KXP was pitched to be a major airport that would accommodate both passenger and cargo and would ease the traffic at Penang International Airport.

“I don’t think it should be a priority for now. The air transport sector has had a negative growth for the last two years due to the pandemic,” he said.

Even now, the government has yet to do anything about KXP and the Penang government has asked for clarification on whether or not the airport has been approved for construction.

“Hardly any risks or consequences will occur if the airport was delayed for several more years until air transport demand has stabilised,” Rosli said.

Resume Klang Valley double tracking

Rosli said the government’s main priority in transport matters should be Phase 2 of the Klang Valley Double-Tracking Project (KVDT), which is in legal limbo after the contract was terminated by the Perikatan Nasional government.

The project consists of two Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) tracks spanning 110km, with one track going from Salak South to Seremban and the other between KL Sentral and Angkasapuri to Port Klang.

Rosli said there was a need to support commuting passengers, as there had been a drastic decrease in passenger ridership volume since 2015, when KVDT first started.

‘Due to the construction, there have been reductions in the service capacity as well as delays which have caused many passengers to switch to other modes of transport,” he said.

He added that the stalling of the project has created more issues with road traffic, such as massive traffic jams, as more passengers start switching from rail travel to road vehicles.

“It creates many unnecessary traffic-related problems which again require unnecessary road expansions and adding of new capacities, which are equally expensive,” he said.

“The truth is our government has failed to look into all these issues and by having the same people back in charge, it will not make it any better.” - FMT