More trains will be added in the Klang Valley to meet the government's goal to raise the use of public transport from 16 per cent now to 25 per cent by 2012, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said today.

The target for Penang and Johor Baharu would be set later, he said in his speech read out by his ministry's Deputy Secretary-General (Planning) Datuk Long See Wool at the national summit on uban public transport.

"Our immediate focus is to enhance the capacity, service levels, coverage, and connectivity for all modes of public transport, with particular emphasis on elevating the role of rail as the backbone of urban public transport," he said.

Ong said that with only 19km of track per million population, rail coverage in the Klang Valley was low compared with other major cities of the world and the existing three railway systems and stage buses which handled 260,000 passenger trips in the morning rush hour were overcrowded.

"For our commuters living along the Ipoh-Rawang line, four new electric trains sets (ETS) will be introduced between December this year and March next year."

He said RM200 million had been allocated to purchase 10 sets of electric multiple units (EMU) for KTM Berhad due to increasing passenger load through the Klang Valley.

For the congested Kelana Jaya LRT line, the government planned to add 10 new trains with four cars by end of this year.

"We will continue to put into service additional four-car sets in batches until all 35 are operational by 2012. By then, our current capacity of 25 trains with 70 cars will grow to 70 trains with 210 cars," he said.

By 2012, the LRT line from Kelana Jaya would be extended to Putra Heights via Subang Jaya and the Ampang-Sri Petaling serice would be extended to Puchong and also end in Putra Heights.

A new LRT line from Kota Damansara to Cheras covering 42.8 km was being studied.

"The LRT line extensions and new line will increase our rail coverage in the Klang Valley to 32km per million population," Ong added.

He said the delivery taskforce on public transport would be tasked to make further improvements to the Klang Valley public transport system and would immediately focus on revamping bus services, more inter-modal hubs, rail capacity, feeder network and integrated ticketing.

Outside the Klang Valley, the electrified double tracking project from Ipoh to Padang Besar in the north, and Seremban to Gemas in the South, were being completed.

Ong said that under the national key result area (N-KRA), the project would be extended from Gemas to Johor Baharu very soon.

A Land Public Transport Commission would be set up to ensure integrated policy, planning and implementation would be carried out in a more cohesive manner, he added. – Bernama

NEW STRAITS TIMES : 15/10/2009