I knew our trains had a bad reputation. I mean, why wouldn't they right? Never on time. Always packed full of people. Sometimes the air-conditioning won't work. And the list goes on.
I didn't realize it was that bad until I went to Korea and Melbourne. Their public transport and ours are exact opposites. Imagine the trains or trams over there are so reliable that we never have to worry if we're gonna be late to work or not. If the arrival time says 10.30, then exactly on the dot, you can expect them to be there. Last I took KTM, it was supposed to arrive at 11.00 but well, whaddya know, there was no sign of the train until half an hour later. No wonder the people who do have to take the train, do so because they have no choice left. Even I wouldn't relish the thought of squashing against other strangers, trying to grip on the one steel pole between the exit doors, and every time the train stops, nobody gets out. Just more people squeezing themselves into the already packed coach.
What really rubs the point in is that in Korea, Japan or Melbourne, the stops, railways and number of trains they have are maybe thrice the number that we have. So how can we explain our lack of efficiency? What the hell is our government doing with the funds? How come the ministers, who are supposed to help improve these public amenities, can still buy huge cars, go on holidays all over the world, play golf and simply neglect this growing, festering problem in our society?
If the trains were more efficient, arriving on time, allowing more passengers to board with additional coaches and trains to compensate the growing population, I don't think this problem of the jam packed sardines in a can would happen at all. Nobody would rush at the doors when they open to spit out the aggravated passengers from inside.
It's not like Malaysians have been keeping quiet all this while. Every single day, there is bound to be some poor soul out there pleading to the government for better public transport, be it the trains or buses or even taxis, their complaints plastered all over the papers. I wonder why, after all this time, there is no improvement at all? In fact, it seems to be getting worse every day. Dude, what the hell?