Dear Editor, WE refer to the article ‘KTM needs to improve services’ by Hamdan Ibrahim on March 6.

We would like to thank him for his feedback and for using the KTM Komuter service.

On behalf of KTM Bhd, I would like to apologise to him for any inconvenience caused.

The KTM Komuter service is fa cing a shortage of train sets to meet increasing demand.

The train sets have been in op eration since 1995 and are in need of a major overhaul.

The overhaul programme com menced late last year and is ex pected to be completed in two years.

Apart from the overhaul project, KTM Bhd is also in the early stages of procuring eight new train sets to add to our existing fleet.

This measure will enable us to meet demand.

As a temporary measure while this is being sorted, we have stepped up our internal mainten ance schedule and have assigned technical personnel to travel on KTM Komuter trains during peak hours to help with minor tech nical problems should they arise.

The occasional service disrup tions caused by theft and van dalism of signalling and track equipment have made matters worse and trains are forced to stop until order is restored.

We have recently increased the strength of our auxiliary police force by hiring new recruits as well as increasing the frequency of checks by our track mainten ance staff to ensure all equipment is in good working order.

However, this is not enough considering the KTM Komuter net work is nearly 200km long.

We still require public assist ance, especially in reporting cases of theft or vandalism of equip ment.

We also ask that scrap metal dealers not buy railway metal.

Shahriza Embi

Communications Manager

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd

Source: Malay Mail – April 16, 2008