PETALING JAYA: A workers’ union has blamed the transport ministry for problems in Keretapi Tanah Melayu’s train service.
The president of the Railwaymen’s Union of Malaya, Abdul Razak Md Hassan, told FMT the ministry was interfering with the operations of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB).
He claimed that the train sets the ministry had bought through direct negotiations were of poor quality.
“These trains are problematic for KTMB as they require frequent maintenance and have a shorter lifespan,” he said.
He also said the ministry had not been transparent about projects involving the train service and KTMB’s efforts to improve railway facilities.
Last week, Razak defended KTMB CEO Rani Hisham Samsuddin against online criticism.
Netizens said the heavy traffic in the Klang Valley was due to people’s reluctance to use public transport such as KTM trains because of poor service.
Razak claimed that the fault was with the transport ministry, which he said appeared to be delaying KTMB-related projects on purpose. One of these was Phase 2 of the Klang Valley Double Tracking project (KVDT2).
“Delays in KVDT2 mean that trains cannot be operated frequently, which is an inconvenience to commuters,” he said.
He said it would be “impossible” for KVDT2 to be completed by 2026, as promised by transport minister Wee Ka Siong in October.
The project has been in legal limbo after the Muhyiddin Yassin administration terminated the contract.
A dispute arose after finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz released a list of 101 projects worth RM6.6 billion which he claimed were awarded through direct negotiations during the Pakatan Harapan administration. It included KVDT2, valued at RM4.5 billion.
In August 2020, the Cabinet decided to reopen the tender for KVDT2 sparking a long-running legal fight with contractor Dhaya Maju LTAT Sdn Bhd.
According to The Edge Markets, the parties settled their dispute out of court last January, with the Cabinet agreeing in principle that Dhaya Maju LTAT would continue with the project, subject to a firming up of the cost. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.