KUALA LUMPUR: Seventy-five transit officers will be on stand by to intervene rapidly in the event of unforeseen circumstances when the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Phase 1 line Sungai Buloh to Semantan starts operating on Dec 16.
Rapid Rail Chief Executive Officer Datuk Zohari Sulaiman said when the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line is fully opened by July, 31 station managers will be supported by 257 station officers working in shifts.
He said in terms of hardware, 28 train sets had been received for use in the Phase 1 operations.
“Even here, commuters can take heart of the fact that all of them have undergone static testing in the workshop, as well as rigorous on track testing.
“This is to ensure each train runs for 21 km without a single fault, which is the Land Public Transport Commission’s requirement,” he said in a statement here, yesterday.
He said the four-car driverless train sets supplied by Siemens were designed to be operated under highly automated conditions.
“On most days, the system does not require human intervention as everything is computerised.
“However, during emergencies or other unforeseen circumstances, a driver will have to enter the cabin and take over the controls to ensure safe operations,” he said.
Prasarana will operate the first phase of the MRT from Sungai Buloh to Semantan on Dec 16, which consists 12 stations on the SBK Line with a distance of 21 km.
Another 19 MRT stations from KL Sentral (Muzium Negara Station) will be opened in July 2017 to mark the second phase of full opening of the SBK line that stretches over 51 km.
Zohari said other than several park and ride facilities, Rapid Rail will be jointly operating 112 feeder buses with MRT Corp over 26 bus routes during the first phase, traversing a distance of 256.3km.
“Three to five buses will be operating on each route with a frequency of 10 minutes each, which are equipped with comfortable seats, are disabled-friendly and come with CCTV coverage.
“Each bus can accommodate up to 62 passengers with the fare at a flat rate of RM1 per ride, regardless of distance,” he said.
The train fare for the 30-minute ride from Sungai Buloh to Semantan will be capped at RM3.90 for cash fare, and lower for those enjoying various concessions.
“During peak hours, commuters will not have to wait for more than 3.3 minutes for the next train and for non-peak hours, frequencies will be reduced to anything from six to eight minutes,” he said. — Bernama