KL monorail trains attract enthusiasts

KL monorail trains attract enthusiasts

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia reached another milestone after the big hit of its own
national automotive products, Proton and Saga, with the recent
launch of Kuala Lumpur Monorail trains.

The launch of KL Monorail trains makes Malaysia the second
country in Asia, after Japan, to have the modern transportation
system.

The trains, capable of handling around 35,000 passengers per
direction, speeding on elevated rails run along 8.6 kilometers of
rail plying the route on the busiest part of the capital city of
Malaysia.

Since it was launched on Aug. 31, at least 1 million people
have been on board. On the 10th day after it was opened, 100,000
people were transported, according to its official website
www.monorail.com.my.

After a one-year delay in its operation, the KL residents
seemed enthusiastic with the new transport system. It is apparent
by the rising number of passengers commuting on the trains that
run on rails 12 to 16 meters above the ground.

KL Monorail is the brand of monorail that was developed by M
Trans Holdings in 1997. The company invested some RM 1.8 million
(US$310 million) in the project.

It has 11 stations whose locations are close to strategic
places like office blocks, hotels, shopping centers, recreation
points and government offices.

The station starts from Titiwangsa in the north to KL Central
in the south, passing through other stations like Chow Kit, Medan
Tuanku, Bukit Nanas, Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang, Imbi, Hang Tuah,
Maharajalela and Tun Sambanthan.

Some monorail stations are integrated into nearby buildings.

In Bukit Bintang, for example, the station is integrated with
the second floors of shopping centers on both sides of Jl. Bukit
Bintang.

The train is also an effective and enjoyable means of
transportation for sightseeing in KL's golden triangle.

Safety was once a big concern, particularly after an incident
on Aug. 16 2002 when one of the Monorail wheels came off and
injured a pedestrian, David Chelliah, a reporter with country's
state-owned Bernama news agency.

Because of the incident the operation of the KL monorail was
delayed for one year.

"We gave serious attention to people's concerns about safety
issues," said Bakhtiar Jamillee, KL Monorail system managing
director in Kuala Lumpur.

Jamillee said that although KL Monorail was operated manually
by a driver, it was fitted with a fail-safe automatic train
protection system.

"With this system, if the driver runs the train too fast, the
train is automatically taken over by the system," Jamillee said,
adding that KL Monorail was also equipped by advanced and
reliable signaling systems and CCTV at all station platforms.

The stations are also equipped with dedicated communications
lines with emergency services such as hospital, police and fire
departments.

KL Monorail is also equipped with auxiliary power to dispatch
all trains to the nearest station in the event of power failure.

Larrry G. Williams, general manager operation and maintenance
of M Trans KL Monorail System, said all movements of monorail
trains could be observed from eight screens at its control center
at Wisma Monorail on Jl. Tebing, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.

"We can communicate from here with all drivers of the Monorail
trains," Williams said.

What may be learned from the KL Monorail if Jakarta seriously
wants to develop a similar system is that the new escalated
public transportation system must be integrated with other
existing public transport infrastructure.

Therefore, the monorail is not a competitor to the existing
rail-based transportation system. Several Monorail stations in
Kuala Lumpur and other big cities like Tokyo and Seattle, are
integrated into other transportation modes, including rail-based
transportation, buses and taxis.

"Since the beginning, the monorail is designed not to become a
competitor for other transportation modes. Monorail stations are
integrated with stations of light rail transits (LRT)," Jamillee
said.

Beside KL Monorail, there are several other rail-based
transportation modes operated in Kuala Lumpur, including Star
light rail transit (Star LRT), Putra LRT, Express Rail Link (ERL)
and KTM commuter.

Monorail station meets with Star LRT at Titiwangsa and Hang
Tuah, with Putra LRT at Bukit Nanas and Kuala Lumpur Sentral,
with ERL, which link Kuala Lumpur KL airport at KL Sentral, and
with KTM commuter also at KL Sentral.

Jamillee considered monorail the solution for urban transport
because of several reasons.

He said it had the smallest footprint among existing tracked
transport systems. Second, the vehicle straddles the narrow
guideway beam with the side tires hugging the sides of the beam.

And third, the vehicle was wider than the guideway that
supported it.

Now, monorail line is also being developed in the Malaysian
city of Putra Jaya and is expected to completed in 2006.

The length of Monorail corridor in Putra Jaya is 13.2
kilometers with 18 stations. Some 5.1 kilometers of the corridor
was constructed underground. It is equipped with seven stations.

M Trans Holdings, which receives full support from the
Malaysian government, is not only happy with its success at home.
Jakarta will be the first foreign city to apply the Malaysian
Technology.

Another lesson from KL Monorail is that it could curb the
ticket prices as financial sources for the operator also came
from renting of kiosks at stations and advertisements put on
trains, stations and footprints.

The fare of a trip along a 8.6 kilometer corridor starts from
RM 1.20 (US$0.32) to RM 2.50. While the city bus fare is RM 0.5
for the first two kilometers and then RM 0.05 per kilometer after
that. But it is cheaper compared to a taxi.

"It is a bit more expensive compared with a bus fare, but I
can save time as out travel is not affected by traffic
congestion," said Imelda, a shop attendant in the Bukit Bintang
area.