New LRT & Monorail codes

In the 5 years that Prasarana has owned the assets of the two LRT operators (STAR and PUTRA) and two bus operators (INTRAKOTA and Cityliner), not much has changed.

Sure, the operations have been merged under one company, RapidKL, and the buses have been integrated into a single system. But there has been little change with the backbone of the system, the LRT network.

Now that Prasarana has owned the KL Monorail for nearly 2 years, we wonder how much longer it will be to have the KL Monorail fare system integrated with the existing RapidKL system.

And frankly, we do not want to wait, which is why TRANSIT is making it clear to Prasarana and RapidKL that holders of the LRT monthly pass and Integrated Monthly pass should have access to the KL Monorail beginning with the new changes on September 1.

So what has been accomplished in the past 5 years of Prasarana ownership and RapidKL operations? Most of it seems to be behind the scenes, office related stuff. Most of the changes that we have seen relate to the bus system.

Physical integration? Wait for it. Universal design? Wait for it. Fare integration – only if you pay RM100 or 150 for the monthly pass – and that doesnt include the monorail.

LRT Changes

Ok there have been some changes. Names of the LRT lines have each been changed three times. In the first change, STAR became Starline and PUTRA became Putraline. In the second change, Starline became Ampang Line and Seri Petaling line. In the third change, Putraline became Kelana Jaya line and the Ampang and Seri Petaling lines became the Ampang line.

Another change is coming but we cannot tell you about it (we promised) but you might be able to figure it out.

If KJ 14 is Kelana Jaya station, we may assume that KJ1 will be Putra Heights station. The list of other stations (we assume) is as follows:

• KJ1 – Putra Heights Station
• KJ2 – Alam Megah Station
• KJ3 –  ???
• KJ4 – USJ21 Station
• KJ5 – USJ19 Station
• KJ6 – USJ8 Station
• KJ7 – Summit USJ1 Station
• KJ8 – SS18 Station
• KJ9 – SS15 Station
• KJ10 – Subang Jaya KTM Station
• KJ11 – Kelana Jaya Commercial Centre (KJCC?) station
• KJ12 – Lembah Subang Station
• KJ13 – Lembah Subang (or Ara Damansara?) Station
• KJ14 – Kelana Jaya Station
• KJ15-36 (easy to figure out)
• KJ37 Gombak station

TRANSIT Says:

The obvious issue here is this: Why go ahead and give designations and codes to the stations when the route of the Kelana Jaya line extension has not even been approved yet or sent for the 3 month public consultation and display period?

When it comes to public display and feedback, many people believe that their point of view will not be heard. By going ahead and planning for codes without even waiting for the stations to be approved, Prasarana and RapidKL and the Ministry of Transport may be implying that they are not interested in what the public has to say – despite their protestations to the contrary.

As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.” Or to put it even more simply, “Deeds Speak”

As for the buses

RapidKL changed the bus routes in 2006 and 2007 and there is an upcoming change for 2009 but this will mostly be fare related.

In terms of operations, RapidKL introduced bus schedules for some routes in 2006 but no schedules are currently being followed now.

So there you have it. Has service improved? Are there more buses on the road? Are they more reliable and more frequent than the days before RapidKL?

The answer is …………….