Is our LRT too old?

SHAH ALAM - Recently, more than 200,000 regular Light Rail Transit (LRT) users were affected by the service disruption when 16 service stations from Kelana Jaya to Ampang Park were suspended for seven days from Wednesday to November 15.

Following the disruption, almost all routes into the capital were congested and some victims were stuck at the LRT station for hours.

Not only that, some claim that other public service alternatives such as Bus Rapid became very crowded and people had to wait for a long time depending on the frequency of buses available there.

Last year, the LRT issue was an event that rocked the country due to the collision of two trains that caused 260 passengers to be injured, with 47 of them severely injured.

Incident after incident involving the LRT service has thus recorded the worst history in almost 25 years of public transport operation in this country.

The question is, with the age of the LRT in the Klang Valley already entering a period of 25 years, is the LRT already considered an old public transport in Malaysia that is no longer efficient?

MAINTENANCE ISSUES

Engineer expert Ir Muhammad Lukman Al Hakim Muhammad believes that maintenance problems and no improvements in the system used were the main factors that may cause the LRT operation to be non-proactive.

“I feel it may be caused by a maintenance problem that should be done periodically and checked by an outside party to ensure the reliability of this system.

“Besides, this Automatic Train Control System (ATC) has also been in operation for 25 years.

“Therefore, there should be a plan that outlines when a system will become obsolete and need to be upgraded," he told Sinar Premium.

He added that the sustainability of a system depended on the right design, a complete maintenance system, an effective recovery system and skilled human capital.

“In my opinion, Prasarana needs to upgrade the new software system and review the old system that may have expired. This ATC system may be too old and if not improved, it may cause damage.

“Secondly, why wait for a team of overseas experts and engineers, Thales Group from Canada and not train the local technical team to deal with this kind of situation? Our country has never lacked engineering expertise among local young people," he explained.

Lukman said for high-tech electronic equipment or software such as ATC, failure to find out the cause of technical problems faced was not unusual.

“Based on my experience, it is possible for a technical failure to have no known specific cause, especially if it involves high-tech electronic equipment or software.

“It may take a long time to be thoroughly investigated and determined, however, the restoration aspect of a system must be effective and tested periodically to avoid service interruptions for so long that it affects the image and credibility of Malaysian Infrastructure," he said.

STABLE ATC

In the meantime, UKM's Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment sustainable transport strategy expert Professor Datuk Ir Dr Riza Atiq Orang Kaya Rahmat denied that the ATC system was unstable, but there needed to be improvements in the operating system and software.

“ATC is still stable because it has been used for decades. However, operating systems and software that are too old need to be upgraded.

“Communication systems that use fibre optics could be damaged or cut off during floods if they are old.

"Secondly, it is not impossible that software systems can be hacked so it requires comprehensive monitoring and competent operation.

“An efficient sensor with a frequency of 90 minutes for one train is very important to prevent violations from happening," he said.

In addition, Metro System Academy Deputy Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohd Fahmy Abdullah said a backup system was also needed depending on the type of rail service used in terms of speed, track and technology.

"Whatever system is used, we need to ensure that the technology is safe, reliable and not outdated. The technology used must be up-to-date so as not to make it difficult for us to identify the cause of the problem if there is a technical glitch.

"The transport system needs to be integrated, not only LRT transport but also bus transport," he added.