WITH reference to the letter (”Don’t treat us like sardines” — NST, March 6), we would like to thank Hamdan Ibrahim of Kuala Lumpur for using the Komuter service and apologise to him for any inconvenience caused.

KTM Bhd is facing a shortage of train sets to meet the increasing demand.

The ageing trains have been in operation since 1995 and are in need of an overhaul.

The overhaul programme started late last year and is expected to be completed within two years.

KTM Bhd is also in the early stages of buying eight new train sets to add to its fleet.

This measure, aside from the overhaul project, will enable us to meet public demand.

As a temporary measure, we will introduce a new scheduling system that we hope will reduce delays and congestion on trains.

We have also stepped up our internal maintenance schedule.

We have assigned technical personnel to travel on board Komuter trains during peak hours to trouble-shoot in case of technical failures.

The occasional service disruptions caused by theft and vandalism of signalling and track equipment also make matters worse.

We have hired new auxiliary police recruits and increased the frequency of checks by our track maintenance staff to ensure that all equipment is in working order.

However, this is not enough considering that the Komuter network is 200km long.

We require public help, especially in reporting cases of theft or vandalism of equipment.

We also request scrap metal dealers not to buy railway metal.

Please bear with us as we are in this difficult period of having to juggle maintenance and meeting customers’ demand.

Both are important to us and we are doing our best to meet deadlines and public expectations.

Steps taken

WE refer to the complaints by Lau Bing of Subang Jaya (”KTM should replace faulty coach doors” — NST, March 24).

We have taken note of Lau’s comments and have directed our cleaners to clean the toilets more frequently.

Smoking is also prohibited in the toilets.

So, in addition to frequent checks by our cleaners, we will put up notices to remind passengers to refrain from smoking in the toilets.

The toilet at the Tanjung Pagar station, however, may appear a little messy as the station is under renovation.

With regard to the faulty sliding doors, KTM Bhd is overhauling all 200 inter-city coaches. This involves complete refurbishment of the coach interior, including sliding doors and toilets.

By SHAHRIZA EMBI for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd

SHAHRIZA EMBI for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd

Source: NST – March 31, 2008