That said, the question remains whether the extension to the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines will be completed by the end of 2012.
SYARIKAT Prasarana Negara Bhd disclosed in September last year that it expected to start construction on the extension of its two light rail transit (LRT) lines in the Klang Valley early this year.
With just three months left in 2010, it hasn't done it yet.
The first instinct is to blame the state-owned public transport operator for the delay of the project. After all, for a long time, we have been calling for the government to make public transport more accessible to everyone.
But according to a project official, who asked not to be named, this inaccurately describes reality.
"I think Prasarana has been taking a lot of the blame for the delays unjustifiably," he said.
"What people do not understand is that since the public display of the proposed project in September last year, most time was spent in negotiations between the company and city councillors, State Assemblymen, members of non-governmental organisations and resident associations."
Residents from Putra Heights Section 2/3, Subang Alam and the Saujana Residency condominiums at SS16, for example, are against the LRT line extension, saying that the proposed LRT stations will be too close for comfort and will lead to unbearable noise levels.
They also claimed that they had bought their houses without prior knowledge on the LRT line extension.
Some homeowners fear that a house or condominium that's so close to a rail line that they hear and feel train noise and vibration may be difficult to sell or will be worth less than a similar property that is within walking distance.
Prasarana, on its part, has assured the residents that the proposed LRT alignment will be 7m from their homes and the distance would comply with the Department of Railways' guideline which stipulates that the track must be at least 6m away. It would also build a 100m noise-muffling tunnel around the elevated train tracks near the Saujana Residency condominiums.
A source familiar with the situation said the project delay is compounded by politics, where many politicians in opposition-ruled Selangor state are afraid of offending members of resident associations and parent teacher associations and are constantly delaying the project by questioning the rationale of building the extension, in the hope to garner their votes at the next general election.
"The project delay has become more of a political issue," the source said.
"Even among the Pakatan Rakyat politicians, there are two schools of thought: one that put aside their own self-interest to realise that the LRT extension will offer benefits to thousands of Klang Valley residents and another that believes that if they were to allow the project to proceed, it would only boost Barisan Nasional's reputation, after all the LRT extension is a federal government project," he added.
Still, because land is a state matter, much of the project's progress is dependent on when can Prasarana obtain a development order (DO) from the relevant local authority before it can start work on the project. Until then, it is expected to delay awarding the contract to the contractors.
As it stands at present, 90 per cent of this project falls under the Selangor state jurisdiction and the remaining 10 per cent is in the Federal Territory.
"Prasarana has written to the Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to seek clearance for the project, but has yet to receive a reply," a company source said.
"Nevertheless, the company hopes to award some contracts by the end of this year and start constructing an LRT line on sections which it has received approvals from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall. For example, between the current Kelana Jaya LRT station and the KTM Komuter station in Subang Jaya," the source added.
That said, the question remains whether the extension to the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines will be completed by the end of 2012.
Perhaps it is now time for the Selangor state government to draw the line - to put politics aside and put the people first. Because if you try to please everyone, nothing gets done.
We would do well to examine the experience of Singapore, whose introduction of the LRT system was not without its criticisms.
When it was proposed in the late 1990s to complement the existing mass rapid transit system, complaints abound that the new LRT system was more expensive compared with buses, less comprehensive in coverage and less reliable. However, its government proceeded with the construction anyway. Today, the republic has one of the world's best public transport systems.
With just three months left in 2010, it hasn't done it yet.
The first instinct is to blame the state-owned public transport operator for the delay of the project. After all, for a long time, we have been calling for the government to make public transport more accessible to everyone.
But according to a project official, who asked not to be named, this inaccurately describes reality.
"What people do not understand is that since the public display of the proposed project in September last year, most time was spent in negotiations between the company and city councillors, State Assemblymen, members of non-governmental organisations and resident associations."
Residents from Putra Heights Section 2/3, Subang Alam and the Saujana Residency condominiums at SS16, for example, are against the LRT line extension, saying that the proposed LRT stations will be too close for comfort and will lead to unbearable noise levels.They also claimed that they had bought their houses without prior knowledge on the LRT line extension.
Some homeowners fear that a house or condominium that's so close to a rail line that they hear and feel train noise and vibration may be difficult to sell or will be worth less than a similar property that is within walking distance.
Prasarana, on its part, has assured the residents that the proposed LRT alignment will be 7m from their homes and the distance would comply with the Department of Railways' guideline which stipulates that the track must be at least 6m away. It would also build a 100m noise-muffling tunnel around the elevated train tracks near the Saujana Residency condominiums.
A source familiar with the situation said the project delay is compounded by politics, where many politicians in opposition-ruled Selangor state are afraid of offending members of resident associations and parent teacher associations and are constantly delaying the project by questioning the rationale of building the extension, in the hope to garner their votes at the next general election.
"The project delay has become more of a political issue," the source said.
"Even among the Pakatan Rakyat politicians, there are two schools of thought: one that put aside their own self-interest to realise that the LRT extension will offer benefits to thousands of Klang Valley residents and another that believes that if they were to allow the project to proceed, it would only boost Barisan Nasional's reputation, after all the LRT extension is a federal government project," he added.
Still, because land is a state matter, much of the project's progress is dependent on when can Prasarana obtain a development order (DO) from the relevant local authority before it can start work on the project. Until then, it is expected to delay awarding the contract to the contractors.
As it stands at present, 90 per cent of this project falls under the Selangor state jurisdiction and the remaining 10 per cent is in the Federal Territory.
"Prasarana has written to the Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to seek clearance for the project, but has yet to receive a reply," a company source said.
"Nevertheless, the company hopes to award some contracts by the end of this year and start constructing an LRT line on sections which it has received approvals from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall. For example, between the current Kelana Jaya LRT station and the KTM Komuter station in Subang Jaya," the source added.
That said, the question remains whether the extension to the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines will be completed by the end of 2012.
Perhaps it is now time for the Selangor state government to draw the line - to put politics aside and put the people first. Because if you try to please everyone, nothing gets done.
We would do well to examine the experience of Singapore, whose introduction of the LRT system was not without its criticisms.
When it was proposed in the late 1990s to complement the existing mass rapid transit system, complaints abound that the new LRT system was more expensive compared with buses, less comprehensive in coverage and less reliable. However, its government proceeded with the construction anyway. Today, the republic has one of the world's best public transport systems.
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