THE LRT breakdown in the Klang Valley is part of a larger issue.

Good infrastructure attracts multinational companies and foreign investors. Poor infrastructure increases costs of production. 

Extensive and efficient transport infrastructure is essential for economies to function.

Effective modes of transport – including high-quality roads, railroads, ports, and air transport – enable entrepreneurs to get their goods and services to market in a secure and timely manner and facilitate the movement of workers.

The LRT is supposed to integrate suburban areas with offices and factories in the Klang Valley.

The rail networks in the Klang Valley are an integral part of the people’s lives. It is estimated that transport costs in the Klang Valley take up 20-30% of the household monthly expenses of those who commute daily.

The 46.4km Kelana Jaya LRT Line that broke down and will be out of service for at least a week spans from Putra Heights in the southwest of Klang Valley to the northeast terminal of Gombak.

Even before this, there have been frequent complaints about the service’s inconsistent schedules that resulted in the government recently offering a month of free rides on the LRT, MRT and KTMB trains, and stage and feeder buses.

Even the escalators at some of the stations were out of service for several months with no indication of when they would be repaired.

Then we have the CEO of KTMB complaining that Malaysians generally viewed public transport as a nuisance and that KTMB’s network was not operating at full capacity. 

All Malaysians want is user-friendly, convenient, frequent, and accessible public transport.

At the very least, they want their buses and trains to be safe and reliable.

On May 24, 2021, a manually-driven empty train collided with an automated train carrying passengers on the Kelana Jaya LRT line between the Kampung Baru and KLCC stations in Kuala Lumpur. More than 200 people were injured, 47 of them seriously.

In the last five years, the trains have crashed six other times.

But the government keeps telling us that it is doing its best to attract investor. – November 10, 2022.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.