MRT: Towards Seamless Connectivity

COMMUTERS in Selangor and within Kuala Lumpur city are set to have a refreshing experience with another addition to the public transport system, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) service.

Phase 1 of the service between Sungai Buloh and Semantan that commenced last Friday has 12 stations and is part of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line (SBK). The second phase is due to start operational by July next year.

It is comfortable and convenient. But, perhaps more considerably, it helps save times and makes travelling from one place to another less nerve-wracking compared to driving on congested roads.

I had the pleasure to ride on the MRT from Kwasa Sentral station to Semantan station for free on the first day of its operation. Park-and-ride facility is available at the station and is free for the whole month.

A significant difference that I noted between the service and previous public transportation systems is the almost seamless connectivity it offers.

Almost all other rail-based services, the likes of Light Rail Transit (LRT) and monorail are independent, whereby the stations are not connected to one another.

For instance, those who are travelling from Putra Heights LRT line to reach to their final destinations situated near Sentul have to switch at Masjid Jamek station to get to Sentul Timur line.

MRT stations on the other hand are connected to all existing public transport services, including the KTM Komuter and bus stations.

Hence, with such connectivity, commuters can travel from one point to another without having to switch rail lines too often.

The new service also offers solution to those who are having difficulties to get from their houses to rail-based stations. It provides about 112 feeder buses at residential areas that have not been served by urban rail service before.

These areas include Subang Bestari, Kota Damansara and Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh.

The public can also leave their vehicles at home and hop on the busses to get to the stations and to their final destinations, or to use the park-and-ride spots available at selected stations.

In short, commuters don’t have to drive at all and that’s pretty awesome.

Nonetheless, there is still room for improvement with regards to the feeder busses prepared for the commuters.

There were instances where commuters were told to wait for the bus scheduled departure time before it can start moving to its destination, eventhough the bus is almost occupied.

Some quarters of the commuters were also unsure of the busses routes as not all related information is easily accessible.

It is hoped that the service will be much more integrated, by offering a complete connection to all of the stations of other rail-based services.

For instance, MRT feeder busses should transport commuters to nearest LRT stations from its stops.

All things considered, the MRT had just commenced. Perhaps, in the future, commuters can consider to ditch their cars and travel only by using the MRT as it improves mobility with shorter travelling time.

Balqis Rayhana is an independent analyst and Malaysian Access reader. Article written is strictly her personal view. Malaysian Access does not necessarily endorse the opinions given by any third party content provider.

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