LRT
We all know that the traffic in KL can come to almost a standstill when it’s just drizzling. And this may be the very reason why some take the train to go to work. The LRT service, to be specific, is said to be efficient, reliable and fast. Its efficacy is not dependent on the traffic or weather.
I really doubt that.
I take the train to work (the LRT service formerly known as PUTRA LRT). And everytime it rains, the train slows down, and the door opens for so long at every other station it makes me feel like an exotic monkey standing in a box to be watched by those standing in line. It is also a mystery why the train stops midway in between stations, and it feels like a scene in one of those movies when the train stops in between stations in the tunnel (e.g. betwen Masjid Jamek and Dang Wangi), and stops moving for minutes. (I sometimes see shadows of zombies lurking in the dark outside the train). And if it is raining and you’re standing close enough to the door, as i normally do in the morning coz the train is so packed that i almost get cut in half by the door whenever it closes, you could actually feel the rainwater (whether this is a manufacturing defect or a wear and tear condition, i wouldn’t know. Just stating the facts).
Notwithstanding all the above, i have always thought that the LRT line formerly known as PUTRA LRT was poorly planned. For the high density areas that it covers and its importance for those who depend on it to travel to work everyday, the train is small. I would not even try to describe how hellish it is to even get on the train in the morning (no proper queue, too many people, everyone pushing, small train, imagine yourself). The effect is exaggerated if you take the train from Terminal Putra. I’ve read a few years ago that there is a plan to make the trains longer as to cater for the ever growing number of passengers depending on the service, but that was years ago and the news remains just that. I guess the fact that they did plan to extend the trains indicates that those who make decisions are aware of the problem, but i guess there are much much more important things than this.
Until the service is improved, as though i have a choice, i will still use the same train service everyday, hoping for the best, experiencing the worst.