THE recent light rail transit (LRT) collision was an incident many would not have expected. Yet, I foresaw such an accident. I did mention the close scheduling of trains to people on many occasions as I was once commuting regularly, on the KTM Komuter.

Many of our railway planners lack vision and have over time become complacent.

They hardly accept criticism or even constructive suggestions, even if they involve safety. However, I must say that Star-LRT did implement a few of my suggestions.

Having trains running at three-minute intervals is imprudent and an invitation to tragedy.

When a train stalls, a lot of factors come into play.

One of them is the breakdown in communications between the affected train and the operations room.

At the same time, there might also be communication problems with another train on the same track as the stalled train.

The operations staff can only watch as a tragedy unfolds right in front of their eyes.

Walkie-talkies and cellphones may be available on the train but these may be useless if the driver of the train had, for example, passed out for one reason or another.

There might also be cases of drivers engaging in trivial talk with off-duty companions in the driver’s compartment and not concentrating on their job.

In the wake of the recent accident, it would be wiser for the authorities to plan for five- or even 10-minute interval schedules during the peak periods between 5am and 10am and between 3pm and 8pm.

During off-peak periods, trains can run at 15-minute intervals.

In order not to inconvenience passengers, the trains should have extra coaches. The seats must also be comfortable so that the journey is comfortable.

Another type of accident waiting to happen is that of passengers, especially children, playing in the waiting area, falling on the tracks just as a train comes in. To avoid such a tragedy, the planners should have an automatic gate, controlled from the operations room, which opens only when the train has come to a complete halt.

The public waits for the findings of the board of inquiry in the recent accident and the excuses that will be given by the LRT operators for the fiasco.

I hope that my suggestion for the automatic gate is accepted and implemented immediately.

Source: NST – October 7, 2008