The extension of the LRT lines may lead to more problems than they try to solve

IF you have been following this column, you would know that not only do I not have a driver's license, but I cannot be bothered to get one (if you haven't been following this column, where have you been?!?). A few weeks ago, I wrote about the increase in taxi fares (there will be an upsetting little follow-up on this later in this article), which not only reaffirms the need for better public transportation in Malaysia but also reaffirms how much I miss London and its Underground system (both the real and Neil Gaiman versions).

Well, we just had a piece of news that is relevant to that particular discussion. Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, the company owned by Malaysia's finance ministry which runs the light rail transit (LRT) trains and public bus service in Kuala Lumpur, recently announced that they would spend about RM6 billion to RM7 billion to extend the two LRT lines in the Klang Valley by a total of 34.7km, as well as adding 13 new six-car train sets to the Ampang line's existing fleet and 35 four-car train sets for the Kelana Jaya line.

"At the moment, around 350,000 people use the LRT lines, with 180,000 using the Kelana Jaya line and 170,000 the Ampang line. Once we get the new train sets, we are projecting that capacity on the Kelana Jaya line will increase to 400,000," said Prasarana group managing director Idrose Mohamed. "Prasarana", by the way, literally means "infrastructure" in Malay, so the company looks set to live up to its name, so to speak.

Now, as a power walker (the only form of exercise I get) and power user of the LRT (I use it even on days that I am not working), I followed the news with great interest — I expected the news to also state that they would refurbish and upgrade the current facilities as well. I am such a regular user of the Putra line LRT (which runs through the more central parts of KL) that the LRT security guards (especially the older ones) have become buddies.

It's not that I get a free ride or anything of the sort, but it is nice to be greeted with a genuine smile and handshake when you are off on the way to work. One even invited me to his daughter's wedding, which was very touching, but I could not go as I was working (it was a Sunday, and my colleagues and I work Sunday to Thursday to bring your Monday to Friday editions of The Edge Financial Daily, which to me is the best newspaper in town). Still, it's the thought that counts, and I am content (though not 100% happy) with the current service.

To my horror, I discovered that the plans involve merely extending both LRT lines and adding more trains. Have any of the people making these plans actually ever ridden on the trains? And I do not mean a three-stop ride for PR purposes; I mean braving the peak-hour crowds and enduring the heat and smells that ensue for a good 64-minute trip. The trains are getting rickety after a mere 11 years of service, being shakier than an insomniac junkie who has just consumed seven boxes of sugar-enhanced prune juice. Some of them have their fittings (either the rails or handlebars) falling apart, and I swear that I once was on a train that actually leaked when it rained.

Oh, and WAY too many use the service because there is no real alternative. Especially since our brainiac government raised fuel prices last year, more people than ever are forced to use the LRT. Use the bus? With traffic being what it is (never mind the odd accident or two)? Let's not be absurd. What makes Prasarana think that adding more trains and a longer track will only add 50,000 people? You're adding the population of people from Puchong and Subang to the mix — and since people who live there have to drive to work now, they will surely take to riding the LRT as naturally as new-born turtles head out to sea.

I remember when I used to do the morning shift at work before the company established an actual web team to handle it (I love you guys!) — I would be forced to literally take the first train to work because I literally lived on the other side of the world as far as work was concerned (as a literary person, things often happen literally with me). I'd have to get up at 5.30am to be able to get ready and catch the 6am train. And before the grill is even open, there are 40 people already waiting like to rush, as impatient as a hungry cheetah giving Usain Bolt a head start.

That's not the half of it; within a mere half hour of the gates opening, the platforms of the stations are full, and continue to be that way until about 9.45am. And Malaysians being Malaysians, queueing up is a heretical idea: we are a nation that believes in the omni-directional queue (ie three separate lines converging on one spot) — and don't get me started on the courtesy-deficient losers who think that queues apply to everyone except themselves. Granted it's not as jam-packed as the trains in Japan (where they actually employ staff to SHOVE people into the trains during the peak hours), but the Heavens help you if you are claustrophobic. The situation at lunchtime and after office hours is like a set of washing instructions: rinse and repeat.

And that is the situation now; when add the numbers of new commuters, the mind starts to boggle. Trust me, it is no fun being packed tighter than fat sardines into an anorexic tin; and no matter how hard up you have been for a date, it ain't no thrill, sister. Add the fact that the lines are STILL single lines and not circular ones like the famous one in London (oh, how I miss riding the Circle Line!), you are merely making the trip longer, not offering more feasible travel options.

I am not saying that you shouldn't go ahead and build the extensions — all I am saying is that more thought should be have been put into the matter instead of bull-dozing ideas that are not even 10% of reaching half-baked. Much the same way this country is run, really. And I hope that the up-to-RM7 billion expenditure actually gets spent on the train itself and not get side-tracked (pun fully intended) into fat cat pockets; we need better public transport, not another PKFZ scandal.

Oh, and about the taxi ride: the cabs at the One Utama shopping mall use a coupon system, and they charged me the exorbitant sum of RM12 to go from One Utama to the office in Damansara, a distance of less than 2km. Yes, it's extortion that is officially sanctioned. I'd like to stuff those people into the LRT at 5pm after a long hot day. Or maybe I should start charging cabs for getting me as a passenger; after all, they would get the honour of my company and intellect for that brief moment in their lives...

Ahmad Azrai used to walk about 7km a day, but is getting too old and lazy. I gotta save up money and buy my own helicopter...