MACHINES worth millions of ringgit meant for upgrading the ticketing system at all the KTM Berhad Komuter stations in the Klang Valley are left idle at the station premises.
Commuters are furious over the presence of the uninstalled machines at the various stations.
They claim that the machines had been left unattended for more than three years.
Besides being an eyesore,there was fear of the machines will malfunction from lack of maintenance.
It could also lead to vandals taking advantage of the situation to damage the machines.
A check by StarMetro at the various stations revealed that some of the machines are kept in wooden boxes at the premises.
A goat and a stray dog are seen next to an auto gate at the Kg Dato Harun Komuter station.
At the Teluk Pulai station, some of the wooden boxes were left exposed to sunlight and rain and occupied three quarter of the entrance of the station.
The boxes were also obstructing commuters who were forced to squeeze through the arranged boxes on their way to the platform especially during peak hours.
At most of the stations, the uninstalled machines are at the automated ticket lanes, covered with aluminium wrappers.
In the Kg Datuk Harun station, a goat and stray dogs were seen running inside the building.
Kamarul Arrifin, 60, from Klang who had been using the Komuter service for many years said “money had gone down the drain”.
He said it was unacceptable that machines meant for upgrading the ticketing system and automated gates had been left idle at the stations for years.
The machines packed in wooden boxes have been placed along the entrance at the Tepi Sungai station in Klang.
“KTMB owes the public an explanation and I strongly feel they will have problems upgrading the system as these are sensitive electronic machines,” he said
A StarMetro reader, who wished to be identified as Jackie, said the machines were collecting dust at the stations and a lot of money had been wasted due to poor planning.
She said the machines were not only taking up space but also depicted a negative image of the country especially among foreigners.
“The machines have become an eyesore at the various stations including the KL Sentral from where a lot of tourists commute by train,” she said
K. Subramaniam, 55, urged KTMB to quickly instal the machines so that the system would be upgraded soon.
Currently, he said, most of the ticket vending machines were not in working order.
“We are unable to use the new ringgit notes and commuters are facing a lot of inconvenience.
“I am sure the problem will be resolved when the system is upgraded,” he added.
StarMetro reported on Nov 12 that unmanned platform gates were costing KTMB losses in revenue, but a recently check showed that the situation had not changed.
Efforts to contact KTMB’s corporate communication head to explain the situation was futile.
Post time 20-3-2015 08:59 AM
