LEMBAH SUBANG – The government has given a new key-performance-indicator (KPI) target of one million kilometres without disruptions for Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Mass Rail Transit (MRT) services.
This is to assess the quality of public transport services, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke of the KPI metric called “mean kilometres between failures (MKBF),” which would take into account how far the train was operated without disruption.
He said previously, the MKBF was disclosed to the ministry, “but now the public will be aware if MRT and LRT had experienced any disruptions over a period of time.”
“The MKBF will be made public on Prasarana’s social media accounts starting next month,” he said after attending a breaking of fast event organised by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd last night.
“This is an approach that has never been implemented before. We want to be transparent. There will be a report every week of all train lines’ (performance). This report is usually reported to the ministry at the post-cabinet meeting, but now I have asked for (the report) not only to be given to the Transport Ministry but also to the public.”
Loke said that Prasarana had been told to achieve the target of one million kilometres of service without any disruption by the third quarter of 2026.
“In other words, the further the train travels without damage and technical problems, then it will be a good sign. A higher MKBF means services are better, which is an indication on how we can improve ourselves,” said Loke, adding that the MKBF yardstick has been widely used in many countries.
He said the ministry had expressed its concern with the unsatisfactory level of service by Rapid Rail given frequent disruptions experienced by commuters in the past 18 months.
“Lately, we have been experiencing situations that were not satisfactory, for example the Kelana Jaya route, where train service disruption occurs at a rate of 150,000km.
“This is an unsatisfactory number, and we have set a high standard and it will take some time for Prasarana to reach that target,” he said.
“With this, our maintenance culture and philosophy will be transformed. In the past, there have always been corrective measures until a failure occurred. But now, it is necessary to apply pre-emptive measures, for example identifying which parts need to be changed based on its life cycle,” he added.
Previously, the ministry’s KPIs for infrastructure facility management in the country’s public transport system included a report by Prasarana every week on train services, buses, elevators, and escalators that have been refurbished or under repair.
On a related note, Loke also said that the Kelana Jaya LRT line would receive new trains by August. – The Vibes, April 13, 2023
