KTM Update: 36 EMU trains worth RM2bil

TRANSIT takes note of the following article which is a very positive kick-start to a new year, a new decade, and a new hope for public transport.

KTMB to open tender for 36 EMU trains worth RM2bil (Star/Bernama)
4 January 2010

BUTTERWORTH: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) expects to open tender for the purchase of 36 electric multiple unit (EMU) trains worth RM2 billion in the next three to six months.

[TRANSIT: Hooray. But we expect public scrutiny of the selection and purchasing process]

Its President, Dr Aminuddin Adnan, said KTMB was looking at prospective suppliers from international companies in Europe, China and Japan.

“We want to speed up the process as [we] want to acquire the EMU in 2012,” he told reporters after a ceremony here on Monday to handover cheques to squatters affected by the Ipoh-Padang Besar doubletrack electric railway project.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat officiated the event where 134 squatters received cash consolation amounting to a total of RM42,000.

On the EMU, Ong said the potential EMU to be purchased would have six compartments.

The present EMU trains used by the railway company come with three compartments.

The EMU train should have a speed of 100-120/kmh, Ong said.

“Apart from buying new EMU trains, we also have to repair and refurbish the existing EMU to ensure comfort for passengers,” he said. – Bernama

TRANSIT Says:

What a way to start the new year. The sad thing about this story is that the government is ready to provide funding for the new trains…now.

Where were they in 2005 when the first signs of wear and tear and breakdown of service were starting to show?

Perhaps if they had made the correct choice (expand the service) then, we would not be in this horrible KTM Krisis situation now…because  a whole fleet of the new trains would have arrived by this time.

TRANSIT is happy to see that the purchasing of the trains will be involve an open tender, but we want to see more public scrutiny of the purchase, including the expectations for the train itself.

We have observed that a common feature of megaprojects is ‘overpayment’ for services … often associated with political inefficiency or disguised corruption.

Hence, we expect to see that KTMB will get the best deal for these trains…and by that we mean the best quality train, comparable to international standards, at the lowest cost.

TRANSIT is watching closely.