rail transportation in kuala lumpur

Japan Railway & Transport Review 35 • July 2003 21

Feature

Urban Railways in Asia

Copyright © 2003 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

Rail Transportation in Kuala Lumpur

Hilmi Mohamad

Figure 1 Kuala Lumpur Rail Transit System

Pelabuhan KlangJalan Kastam

Kg Raja UdaTeluk Gadong

Teluk PulaiKlang

Bukit BadakPadang Jawa

Shah AlamBatu Tiga

Taman Bahagia

Kelana JayaTaman

Paramount Taman Jaya Kerinchi

Asia Jaya Universiti AbdullahHukum

Subang JayaSetia Jaya

Seri SetiaKg Dato Harun

Bangsar

KL Sentral

Kuala Lumpur

BankNegara

Sungai Besi

Putra

Dang Wangi

Segambut

Kepong

Sg.BulohSentul

Kuang

Rawang

Jalan TemplerPetalingPantai Dalam

Angkasapuri

Sentul Timur

Sentul

Titiwangsa

PWTC Chow Kit

MedanTuanku

PlazaRakyat

Seputeh

MasjidJamek

HangTuah

ImbiChan Sow

LinPudu

SultanIsmail

Bandaraya

Pasar Seni

Tun Sambanthan

Sultan Sulaiman

Merdeka

Salak Selatan

Pandan Jaya

Pandan Indah

Cempaka

Cahaya

Ampang

Bandar Tun Razak

Salak Selatan

Cheras

Miharja

Bukit BintangRaja Chulan

Bukit Nenas

Maluri

KLCC

Kg Baru Ampang Park

Damai

Dato Keramat

Jelatek

Setiawangsa

Sri Rampai

Wangsa Maju

Taman Maluri

Terminal Putra (Gombak)

Bandar Tasik Selatan

Putrajaya

Salak Tinggi

KL International Airport

Bukit JalilSri Petaling

Serdang

Kajang

UKM

Bangi

Batang Benar

Nilai

Labu

Tiroi

SerembanP

PP

PP

PP

PP

PP

P

PP

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

PP

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

PP

PP P

PP

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

KTM Komuter A

KTM Komuter B

KTM Komuter B

ERL

STAR

KL MONORAIL

STAR

STAR

PUTRA

PUTRA

Interchange station

Car park

Feeder bus

Interchange station within walking distance

P

Introduction

Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital ofMalaysia, has an area of 243 km2 with apopulation of 1.4 million and a totalcurrent employment of 838,000. It is thecentre of Malaysia’s economic activitywith 12.4% of total GDP. KL is situatedwithin a larger economic zone known asthe Klang Valley, spanning an area of2843 km2. Vehicle ownership inMalaysia has passed 10 million vehicleswith an estimated 2.5 million vehicles inthe Klang Valley alone. With the rapidvehicle growth rate of 8% per annum,t h e g o v e r n m e n t r e a l i z e d t h a tuncon t ro l l ed u rban i za t i on andm o t o r i z a t i o n w o u l d r e s u l t i nenvironmental deterioration and moretraffic trams and accidents.To meet these challenges, the governmenthas embarked on major developments inland transport over the last 20 years.Although construction of highways andring roads in and around the city hasimproved the traffic flow to some extent,the city centre is still plagued by morningand evening traffic jams. The urban bustransportation, which was based onminibuses, has been revamped byamalgamating bus operations into a fewcompanies. The last 10 years have alsoseen development of new rail-basedtransport systems like KTM Komuter, theSTAR LRT, the PUTRA LRT, and theExpress Rail Link (ERL) for the new KLInternational Airport.With the exception of KTM Komuteroperated by Malaysian Railway (KTMB),the other urban railway systems wereconstructed according to a build-operate-transfer (BOT) formula where the privatecompanies/consortiums signed concessionagreements with the government to buildthe railway systems and operate them forsome period. At the end of 2002, KTMKomuter, STAR, PUTRA and ERL had 266 kmof railways in the Klang Valley. This will

be increased by 8.6 km when the KLMonorail is completed in August 2003.

KTM Komuter

KTM Komuter started revenue services asthe first electric rail service in Malaysiaon 14 August 1995 between KualaLumpur and Rawang. The service waslater expanded to cover 153 route-km ofelectrified double track between Rawangand Seremban, and Sentul and Port Klang(Pelabuhan Klang). The KTM Komuter

network has 40 stations including the newKL Sentral Stat ion (Fig. 1) . Theelectrification system consists of a 25-kVaccatenary with six substations drawingpower from Tenaga Nasional Berhad, thenational power company.The meter-gauge track with multipleaspect signalling allows trains to run atup to 120 km/h. KTM Komuter usesthree-car electric multiple units (EMUs)from three different suppliers—JenbacherTransportation System (18 sets), MarubeniCorporation (22 sets) and Union Carriageand Wagons (22 sets). The EMUs have

Japan Railway & Transport Review 35 • July 200322



the automatic train protection (ATP)system, which monitors the train speedand applies the brakes automatically ifthe driver fails to respond. This safetyfeature permits one-man operation,which had never been used before inMalaysia.KTM Komuter’s 215 daily services startat 05:30 and stop at 24:00. Services runat a headway of 15 minutes during themorning rush from 05:30 to 09:30, andthis frequency is also maintained duringthe evening peak from 15:30 to 20:00.The service frequency is reduced to onetrain every 30 minutes at other times.To ensure efficient ticketing, KTMKomuter uses an automat ic farecollection (AFC) system with ticketvending machines (TVMs), automaticgates and magnetic-s t r ip t ickets .Although the AFC system has a closed-system design, KTM Komuter faces someproblems, especially where the railwayfences have been breached by villagersfor illegal crossing of tracks. To controlfare evaders, KTM Komuter employsroving ticket inspectors to make spotticket checks.At present, KTM Komuter carries about64,000 passengers daily, 61% of whomare young people between 19 and 29. Itis also carrying increasingly more white-collar passengers than when it started. KLSentral, Kuala Lumpur, Subang Jaya, BankNegara, Serdang, Seremban, and Kajangstations have high ridership because theyare e i ther in densely popula tedresidential areas or are situated close togovernment offices or commercialbuildings. KL Sentral is the biggestconnecting station where passengers cantransfer between LRT, ERL and intercitytrains.Although located 73 km from KL,Seremban Station collects high revenuesbecause it serves many commuters.Property in and around Seremban ischeaper than in KL and its suburb, sosome people are willing to spend more

time commuting to enjoy the advantagesof larger houses. This trend is expectedto cont inue wi th more proper tydevelopment occurring further from thecity but closer to commuter lines. Asimilar phenomena will probably occurin the north when commuter services areextended to Tanjung Malim.To cater for long-distance commuters,KTM Komuter operates two expressservices in the morning from Serembanto KL, and two express services from KLback to Seremban in the evening. Theymake only three stops, reducing thejourney time from 1 hour 15 minutes toexactly 1 hour.To increase peak capacity, especially overthe section between Sentul and PortKlang, two three-car sets are coupledtogether to form a six-car set with onlyone driver. Three six-car services runduring the morning and evening peakhours.KTM Komuter caters for various travelrequirements with various types oftickets. In addition to the normal singleand return tickets, regular users can buy12- and 24-trip tickets at 20% discount.Regular travellers using a monthly seasonticket enjoy a 33% discount. Toencourage people to travel during off-peak times, the Tiket Mana-Mana passentitles the holder to unlimited travelanywhere on the network on anyweekday after 09:00. It costs justMYR6.00 (MYR1.00 = US$0.26). Asimilar Tiket Kembara day pass forweekends and public holidays costsMYR10.00. It is more expensive than theweekday pass because many people useKTM Komuter at weekends for leisure,shopping, visiting friends and returningto their hometowns. In line with thegovernment intention to create commonticketing, KTM Komuter will be installingcontactless Touch’n Go smart cardreaders in 2003, giving passengers thechoice of using a normal KTM Komuterticket or a prepaid contactless Touch’n

Go smart card that is also accepted bythe STAR and PUTRA LRTs, buses and tollhighways.Commuter services have affectedproperty development around commuterstations. When commuter services firststarted, most stations could only beaccessed from one side. However,development of housing estates andcommercial properties around stationshas required the opening of secondaccess points. The need for better accessand links with bus stops and othertransport modes like taxis has requiredconstruction of covered walkways, etc.Popular stations like Seremban, Kajang,Serdang and Sungai Buloh also needlarger car parks.Property development near commuterlines has created new markets. KTMBidentified a few locations such as MidValley, Sri Damansara and SerembanTwo for construction of new stations tomeet increasing demand. The mostattractive site is at Mid Valley wherethere is a mega-shopping complex asw e l l a s a h o t e l , o f f i c e s , a n dcondominiums. This new station isexpected to be completed in mid-2004.Currently, KTMB is constructing anelectr i f ied double t rack betweenRawang and Ipoh. When completed in2005, services will run 55 km furthernorth to Tanjung Malim with fiveadditional stations from Rawang. Thisproject will also include rapid trainservices with new train sets between KLSentral and Ipoh. Another big projecti n t he p ipe l i ne t ha t shou ld becompleted in 2006 is the double-tracking and electrification of a 7.2-kmextension from Sentul to Batu Caves,passing through new stations at BatuKentonmen, Kg. Batu and TamanWahyu. The extension will serve a newSentul Station that will be built for thejoint-venture Sentul Raya propertydevelopment on the site of a formerrailway central workshop.

Japan Railway & Transport Review 35 • July 2003 23Copyright © 2003 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

KTM Komuter train passing Kuala Lumpur Station (KTMB)

Light Rail Transit

KL has two light rail transit (LRT)systems—the STAR LRT and the PUTRALRT. The STAR LRT sys tem wasestablished as a BOT project with a 60year lease in November 1991. Revenueoperations started on 16 December 1996for phase 1 from Ampang to Sultan Ismail(12 km). The line from Pudu to Ampangruns mainly on an abandoned lineformerly operated by KTMB. After KL wasawarded the 1998 CommonwealthGames in 1994, the government decidedto extend a line southwards to serve theN a t i o n a l S p o r t C o m p l e x . A scompensation for operating this low-density extension, STAR receivedapproval for a 3-km extension northwardsfrom Sultan Ismail to Sentul Timur into ahigh-density residential area.The southern extension (phase 2)between Chan Sow Lin and Sri Petalingwas completed 2 months before theCommonwealth Games and KL tookpride in the smooth transport servicesprovided by the STAR LRT and KTMKomuter to thousands of spectators. Thenorthern extension was completed inDecember 1998, increasing the totalroute length to 27 km.Originally, each STAR LRT train consistedof three single-articulated, two-sectioncarriages with a motorized bogie at eachend and a trailer bogie under the

articulation. The two end carriages eachhad a driver ’s cab and were semi-permanently coupled back-to-back to theintermediate carriage to form a three-carset. The trains are now configured withfour and six cars.The STAR LRT uses a 750-Vdc third railelectrification system. The signalling isbased on trackside signalling backed up byan ATP system. The AFC system usesmagnetic-stripe technology with stationgates. Passengers can buy tickets eitherfrom TVMs or at ticket counters. The STARLRT trains start at 06:00 and stop at 24:00.The service frequency ranges from one trainevery 3 minutes during peak hours to onetrain every 10 minutes at other times. Thecapacity is 33,200 passengers in eachdirection per hour. Currently, the STAR LRTcarries about 92,000 passenger each day.The PUTRA LRT was established on 15February 1994 with a 60-year concessionto design construct and operate a 29-kmLRT from Subang Depot via KL Sentral toPUTRA terminal at Taman Melati. Themostly elevated route runs through manyhigh-density residential and commercialareas on a dual-track guideway. Itincludes a 4.4-km tunnel and 2.2 km atgrade. There are 18 elevated stations,five underground stations and one stationat grade. It is considered to be the world’slargest, fully automatic driverless systemusing linear induction motors.Revenue opera t ion began on 1September 1998 with a headway of 5

minutes during peak hours. Services runbetween 06:00 to 24:00. The morningpeak is between 07:00 and 09:00 and theevening peak is between 16:00 and18:00. Initially, the capacity was 10,000passengers in each direction per hourusing 35 two-car trains. Today, theservice frequency is between 2.9 and 3.3minutes during peak hours and between5 and 10 minutes at other times.The system is fully automatic withdriverless trains supervised by the controlcentre in Lembah Subang Depot. This isachieved by using an automatic traincontrol (ATC) system. The electric poweris supplied from the national grid tosubstations providing 750 Vdc fortraction and 240/415 Vac to stationfacilit ies. The power supply anddistribution system is remotely controlledand monitored by the SupervisoryControl And Data Acquisition System(SCADA).Since the PUTRA LRT is fully automated,it has various safety systems. The ATCsystem uses fail-safe and redundantcomputers, and incorporates ATP sub-systems in software.The PUTRA LRT’s AFC system usesmagnetic-stripe tickets as well ascontactless Touch’n Go smart cards. Amonthly season ticket costs MYR70.00and allows the holder 1 month ofunlimited travel on the network.Magnetic stored-fare (SF) cards can bepurchased from TVMs or at ticket

EMU sets from Union Carriage and Wagons (KTMB)




counters but monthly season tickets canonly be purchased from ticket counters.Today, the PUTRA LRT carries about150,000 passengers each day but thesteadily increasing passenger volumerequires more frequent or longer trains.Stations on the PUTRA LRT are servicedby PUTRAline flat fare (MYR0.50) feederbuses. The first operations began with afleet of 90 buses providing services in a3-km radius at intervals of 15 minutesduring peak hours and 20 minutes atother times.After some years of operation, both theSTAR LRT and the PUTRA LRT facedserious financial difficulties in servicingloans re la ted to const ruct ion ofinfrastructure and purchase of rollingstock. The government restructured bothcompanies in September 2002. Theynow operate as the STARline andPUTRAline under a company responsiblef o r m a n a g i n g c r i t i c a l p u b l i cinfrastructure.

Express Rail Link

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)was built as a major hub airport for SEAsia like the airports in Singapore andBangkok. Since it is about 57 km southof KL, a rail link to the city centre wasseen as essential for getting people to andfrom the airport quickly and the easyaccess was expected to enhance KL’sreputation as an efficient commercial andfinancial hub.The 57-km long ERL runs over doubletracks electrified to 25 kVac along theentire alignment. There are passingtracks at intermediate stations to allowKLIA Express trains to pass KLIA Transittrains standing at stations. Since trainsrun at speeds up to 160 km/h, the trackis standard gauge (1435 mm) instead ofthe meter gauge used elsewhere on theKTMB network.The ERL was constructed under a 30-year

design, finance, construct, manage,operate and maintain concession. Thee n g i n e e r i n g , p r o c u r e m e n t a n dconstruction contract was awarded to theSYZ Consort ium—a joint venturebetween Siemens AG of Germany,Siemens Electrical Engineering Sdn. Bhd.and Syarikat Pembinaan Yeoh Tiong LaySdn. Bhd. The total project cost MYR2.4billion, financed by a combination ofequity holdings and loans from a localfinancial institution as well as exportcredits from Germany.Revenue service started on 14 April 2002with KLIA Express non-stop high-speedservices between Kuala Lumpur City AirTerminal (KL CAT) and KLIA. Trainsdepart from both terminals every 15minutes from 05:00 to 01:00 with ajourney time of 28 minutes. They have aseating capacity of 156 passengers perfour-car train, and offer an ambiencesimilar to business class on an airplane.Reservations are not required because theservice is operated as a shuttle and thesingle fare is MYR35.00.The KLIA Transit is a fast commuterservice operating between both terminalswith additional stops at Bandar TasikSelatan, Putrajaya and Salak Tinggi. Itruns every 30 minutes during peak hoursand the journey time is 35 minutes. Thetrains can carry 540 people includingstanding passengers.The train were built at the Siemens SGPplant in Vienna, Austria; eight sets arededicated for the KLIA Express, while foursets are for the KLIA Transit.The ERL uses automatic signalling andtraffic management system with ATP. TheKLIA Express has a semi-open ticketingsystem with gates at KL Sentral Stationbut not at KLIA. There is also a plan toinstall the contactless Touch’n Go smartcard system too.The KLIA Express offers baggage check-in for Malaysia Airlines, Cathay PacificAirways and Royal Brunei Airlines at KLCAT in KL Sentral Station. Since sufficient

time is required to carry the baggage bytrain to the airport baggage handlingsystem, KLIA Express operator insists thatpassengers must check-in at least 2 hoursbefore their flight departure. TheInternational Air Transport Association(IATA) has assigned the XKL code to KLCAT so baggage can be tagged to XKLfrom any disembarkation point if apassenger chooses to collect his or herbags at KL CAT. The checkout facility atKL CAT has yet to be implemented.Today, the KLIA Express and KLIA Transitcarry about 7000 passengers each day.

Monorail

The 8.6-km long KL Monorail links therecently opened KL Sentral Station (whereit connects with the KTM Komuter andIntercity services, the PUTRA LRT, and theERL), with Titiwangsa (where it connectswith the STAR LRT). It also connects withthe STAR and PUTRA LRTs at twointermediate stations en route. There are9 stations between KL Sentral andTitiwangsa spaced at about 800 m in thecentral business district. The monorailis seen by many to be KL’s missingtransport link because it will connect withand complement the other urbantransportation systems. Construction hasbeen completed and the system is nowbeing tested and commissioned withrevenue service anticipated in August2003.The KL Monorail is a straddle system andthe guideway runs mainly above themedian of main roads in KL’s centralbusiness district. Initially, the serviceswill use 12 sets of two-car trains but eachset can be increased to four or six carsby inclusion of intermediate cars. Themaximum speed is 80 km/h with anacceleration rate of 1.1 m/s2. The roundtrip time is 39 minutes assuming stationstanding times of 20 s and a 30-sturnaround at the terminus. Therefore,


Figure 2 Ridership of Kuala Lumpur Rail Transit Systems

KTM Komuter

PUTRA LRT

ERL

STAR LRT

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Rid

ersh

ip (

mill

ion)

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

the system can operate at a headway of2.5 minutes. Each car has 24 seats andeach two-car train can carry 107 people.To assure absolute safety, the driver-onlytrains are supervised by an ATP systemat all times.The stations are constructed mostly fromlightweight materials making maximumuse of precast concrete components andfabricated steel assembled off-site. Witha platform length of 40 m, each stationcan accommodate trains of up to fourcars in length. The 750-Vdc power fortraction is drawn from the national powergrid, transformed, rectified and suppliedto power rails.The signalling system uses bi-directionalfixed blocks with both trackside and cabsignals for extra safety. Like traditionalLRT systems, the SCADA and associatedsystems are managed from an operationcontrol room in an operations controlcentre.The monorail route mainly serves majorcommercial areas such as Jalan TuankuAbdul Rahman and Chow Kit as well astourist areas like Bukit Bintang and maininterchanges like KL Sentral. Since it hasto pass through very developed andexpensive areas, a monorail running overthe median of public main roads was themost cost-effective construction choice.Another monorail is presently beingdesigned for Putrajaya, the newgovernment administration centre.

Integration

The opening of the KL Monorail in August2003 will complete the first phase of theIntegrated Kuala Lumpur Transit System(IKLTS) with a total of 98 stations, coveringmost of KL and its suburbs. Althoughsome areas, like Bandar Damansara andmajor areas of Cheras and Bukit Jalil, arenot covered, the network will form thebasis for future extensions and stationadditions. Figure 2 shows the number of

passengers using the services during thepast 5 years. Ridership seems likely togrow as standards of service andaccessibility improve.Since KL’s rail networks are operated bydifferent operators, integration is animportant issue. Physical integration withgood station transfers are very importantfor efficiency. Five stations in KL meetthese requirements—KL Sentral, MasjidJamek, Titiwangsa, Hang Tuah andBandar Tasik Selatan. Other stations likeKuala Lumpur, Bank Negara and DangWangi are within walking distance ofPasar Seni, Bandaraya and Bukit Nenasstations, respectively.KL Sentral is an excellent example of anintegrated transport terminal. The stationand facilities were developed based ona concession agreement between thegovernment and concess iona i recontrolled by Malaysia ResourcesCorporation Berhad (MRCB). The stationwas designed as part of the overall KLSentral master plan for redevelopment ofthe old KTMB marshalling yard atBrickfields—a 72-acre site running fromTravers Bridge in the west to Istana Bridgein the east. The requirements of bothindividual rail operators and passengerswas considered in the design. All threeoperators—KTMB, the PUTRA LRT andthe ERL had spec i f ic passengerrequirements. For example, KTMB’sintercity travellers needed large waitingareas and sufficient space for luggagewhile PUTRA LRT’s passengers needed

short and quick entries and exits whereasthe ERL had to ensure that its passengerscould enjoy facilities like those at anairport. The design solution was to giveeach operator its own concourse in orderto assure enhanced passenger services.Apart from the station facilities, thestation also houses the KTMB RailwayMaintenance Depot for rolling stockcleaning, maintenance, and overhaul.Ultimately, the station will form part ofthe integrated KL Sentral developmentthat will include offices, shops, hotels andcondominiums. The station came intooperation on 16 April 2001 and thewhole development, especially thecommercial component, is expected tobe completed in 2012. The station has12 platforms and 14 tracks (Table 1).The Railway Maintenance Depot islocated at ground level under the stationbui lding and has f ive t racks formarshalling carriages, five tracks formaintaining carriages, four tracks formaintaining locomotives, plus otherinfrastructure like a locomotive load testfacility, administration building, etc. Thestation is managed under a 15-yearconcession agreement between thegovernment and Semasa Sentral Sdn.Bhd., a subsidiary of MRCB. The mainintent is to ensure that the integrity of thestation and the Kuala Lumpur Sentraldevelopment is maintained.Like KL Sentral, Bandar Tasek SelatanStation connects four railway services—KTM Komuter, KLIA Express, KLIA Transit




Table 1 Platforms and Tracks at KL Sentral Station

Operators Platforms Tracks

KTMB Intercity 2 2

Commuter 4 4

Through tracks - 2

PUTRA LRT (elevated) 2 2

ERL KLIA Express 2 2

KLIA Transit 2 2

and the STAR LRT. It will also connectwith a new interstate bus terminal that isto be built nearby. Although theconnections are not in the same building,they are quite close to each. During theCommonwealth Games in 1998, BandarTasek Selatan was a very effective andbusy transfer between KTM Komuter andSTAR LRT services, connecting directlyto the National Sport Complex. Thisphenomenon still continues during majorevents at the National Sport Complex likes o c c e r m a t c h e s a n d c o n c e r t s .Completion of the Southern SectorInterstate Bus Complex will make thestation even busier.Masjid Jamek Station is an importantinterchange between the PUTRA andSTAR LRTs, which are now under thesame management and have introduceda monthly season ticket allowing theholder unlimited travel on both systems.However, good integration is not limitedonly to rail. KTM Komuter’s Putra Stationis a popular transfer between KTMKomuter and interstate express busesbound for the east coast departing fromthe Putra Bus Terminal.KTM Komuter’s Nilai Station has becomea popular interchange for budgettravellers going to or coming from KLIAwho catch a bus from Nilai Station toKLIA or vice versa. Although the totaltrain and bus fare is just MYR7.20, thetrip takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. NilaiStation is also very busy during theFormula One racing season when itbecomes an interchange point to the racetrack at Sepang International Circuit.Since physical integration betweenvarious transport mode is important, allfuture construction of transport terminals

should give priority to easy transfers. Inthis regard, the government is planningto construct interstate bus terminals closeto PUTRA LRT stations for east-coastbuses and close to KTM Komuter stationsfor northbound buses.But physical integration alone is notsufficient to make public transport anattractive choice for the public—passengers are now demanding seamlesstravel between different operators.Unfortunately, all bus and rail operatorshave adopted different ticketing systems,making it very expensive to modify thesystems to create a fully integrated AFCsystem. To resolve this impasse, thegovernment had decided to adopt acommon ticketing system using thecontactless Touch’n Go smart cardsystem for KTM Komuter, STAR LRT,PUTRA LRT, ERL, KL Monorail, Park MayBus and Intrakota Bus. This contactlesstechnology is also available in the newMalaysian Identity Card known asMykad. A passenger with either aTouch’n Go card or Mykad will be ableto transfer without having to buy differenttickets for each operator. The PUTRA LRTand Park May buses have alreadyinstalled the Touch’n Go infrastructureand the system is expected to be readyfor the other operators in late 2003.Even before implementation of commonticketing, the rail operators have beencooperating to come up with packagetickets, especially for events. Forexample, KTM Komuter and STAR LRTintroduced package tickets for peopletravelling to the National Sport Complex.KTM Komuter also worked with PUTRALRT and Park May Bus on a monthlyKarib Card season ticket priced at

MYR100 and offering unlimited usewithin certain zones. These integrationconcepts were further reinforced byadvertising and promotion with a jointopening ceremony, press releases,pamphlets, newspaper advertisements,etc.

Feeder Buses

Since KL’s integrated urban transit systemcovers a limited number of routes, itcannot be 100% effective without feederbuses. KL has a tropical climate and mostpeople are not willing to walk more than600 m in the heat and humidity.Therefore, people who use publictransport either live very close to therailway stations or travel by car to thestation. Unfortunately, the limited spaceat stations restricts the available parkingand demand always outstrips supply. Asa consequence, good feeder bus servicesare required to increase the catchmentarea and improve station accessibility.The STAR LRT used to contract feeder busservices to private minibus companieswhile PUTRA LRT had their own feederbus services. Since their integration, theservices are being reorganized. KTMKomuter used to cooperate with the ParkMay and Intrakota bus companies toprovide services at popular stations. Mostfeeder bus services must be improved interms of service standards, reliability,f requency and punctual i ty. Thegovernment has conducted a study onfeeder bus requirements, and will soonpropose a new policy to address this issue.In the meantime, the Triton Bus Companyhas been given a feeder bus licence andis serving some PUTRA LRT stations.Triton is also working with KTM Komuterto serve KTM Komuter stations. When thefeeder bus services become morewidespread and efficient, more peoplewill be attracted to KL’s public transport.


Impacts of Rail Services

Although there has been no specific studyon the impact of rail services in KL,general observations indicate positiveresults. Since the introduction of KTMKomuter 1995, followed by the two LRTsand the ERL, KL’s road congestion has notworsened significantly, suggesting thatra i l -based t r ans i t sy s t ems havecontributed towards helping more peopleuse public transport. Without urban railservices, KL’s traffic congestion would bemuch worse.The urban rail services have also createda new image for public transport. Theearlier perception of public transportbased on minibus services has nowchanged . The inhe ren t sa fe t y,punctuality, comfort and cleanliness ofrail services have won over many citydwellers as evidenced by the increasingnumbers of white-collar workers usingthem. Passenger demand for quality isalso compelling operators to improve.For example, passengers on the PUTRALRT and KTM Komuter a re nowdemanding more frequent services duringmorning peak hours. The operators arestudying these demands because newtrain sets are very expensive and they donot want their investment to be idleduring off-peak hours.The urban rail transit system also haschanged passenger culture by educatingpeople to be more time conscious as wellas courteous and caring by giving up theirseats to pregnant women, pensioners anddisabled people. However, there are newproblems like vandalism, graffiti, nightsecurity, etc., so more educationprogrammes will be required involvingcooperation by the general public.Rail has created a new concept of livingin spac ious count ry homes andcommuting more than 30 km to and fromwork. Many property developers haverealized this and are building housing

and commercial estates along railwaylines. Another new business potential istransit advertising. Due to the highvisibility of trains and large number ofpassengers at some stations, manycompanies now prefer in-train, on-trainand station advertising. The KL Monorailwent even further by using exclusiveadvertising to associate certain brandnames with certain stations.Another benefit of railways is technologytransfer leading to local job creation inboth hardware and software. This isimportant because it stems the outflowof fore ign currency to purchasetechnology from overseas.

Future Developments

Since rail-based transit is a necessity formodern cities, KL’s urban rail network willbe expanded. The KTM Komuter serviceswill be enhanced by the completion of its62.2 km expansion plan.The recently published Draft StructurePlan Kuala Lumpur 2020 envisionsturning KL into a world-class city andemphasizes the role of rail . Thegovernment will examine the feasibilityof a new LRT line linking the Damansaraand Cheras growth areas in the east andwest. The STAR LRT will probably beextended north towards Taman Wahyuand west towards Kepong, while anotherline will be extended from Sri Petalingwest to the area around Bukit Jalil. TheKL Monorail may also be extended to theproposed district centre at Bukit Indah,adding a further 21.8 km to the network.

This KL City Hall also plans to establisha Transit Planning Zone to facilitatetransit-oriented residential, commercialand mixed-use development aroundrailway stations.

Conclusion

The last decade has witnessed rapiddevelopment of rail-based publictransportation systems in KL. Theopening of the KL Monorail later this yearwill be a cornerstone in KL’s railinfrastructure. Future development willconcentrate on expanding the network,adding stations and facilities, improvingstandards, and improving feeder access.There are many challenges in integratingthe diversity of services into a system thatsatisfies passengers’ requirements fore f f ic ient , seamless , f lex ible andinexpensive public transport.Hopefully the new Draft Structure PlanKuala Lumpur 2020 will be a step in theright direction towards making KL aworld-class city. �

Further ReadingDraft Structure Plan Kuala Lumpur 2020, City Hall

Kuala Lumpur, February 2003.

A. Adnan, Air-Rail Integration for the KLIA Express,

UITP Conference, Kuala Lumpur, October 2001.

A. Trelfa, The Kuala Lumpur Monorail System, UITP

Conference, Kuala Lumpur, October 2001.

KTM Komuter —Malaysia’s First Electric Rail, KTMB,

November 1996.

Hilmi Mohamad

Mr Mohamad is General Manager of Commuter Services at KTMB, which he joined in 1983 after

graduating from the University of New South Wales in Australia. He has held senior positions

involving development planning, privatization, business planning and restructuring.

rail transportation in kuala lumpur

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