ALOR STAR: Every week, Khalijah Mustafa, 64, uses the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) North Commuter train service to commute from Alor Star to Kulim to visit her relatives.
However, this routine has become increasingly challenging for Khalijah as she ages.
Each trip requires her to endure long queues of more than 30 minutes, rush to secure a seat, and go through a two-hour ride.
As such, when she found out about the procurement of 12 three-car sets trains for the North Commuter project by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Khalijah was relieved as she believed that the train system was in dire need of improvement.
"I wished there were more trains and seats here. Kids these days won't give up their seats to the elderly, which means I have to compete with them for a seat.
"Senior folk who are not technologically literate have to face long queues to buy tickets too, and we don't even get to sit while we wait. It's hard for us," said the housewife at the Alor Star KTM train station.
Khalijah said she hoped that the procurement of additional train sets would significantly improve her weekly routine.
"Alhamdulillah, I've been using the train service for more than a decade. I'm an old woman and my knees hurt from standing too much. It will be great if they add more priority seating for senior citizens.
"I hope the minister keeps his promises. I believe this procurement will make KTM's services more popular here," she added.
Mohd Shafiq Ashraf Mohd Shokri, a 33-year-old legal practitioner who commutes from Alor Star to Butterworth every day, also welcomed the additional procurement by the Transport Ministry.
He said the current schedule, with trips scheduled every 30 minutes during peak hours and every hour during regular hours, failed to accommodate the growing number of commuters travelling from Kedah to Penang.
"There are thousands of Kedahans who travel to work in Penang and many commute to work via KTM trains. Unfortunately, the frequency and capacity of the trips are not enough.
"Alhamdulillah, with this investment from the government, hopefully after this, people won't have to travel in packed trains anymore," he added.
Form Five student from Butterworth, Mohd Farhan Firdaus, 17, believed that with the major upgrade, local tourism would improve greatly as reaching Padang Besar would be easier for Penangites.
"This is my second time taking the commuter from Butterworth to Padang Besar. I notice that there are a lot of tourists using the train service.
"I'm sure if they improve this, it will boost tourism growth, as it will be easier to travel from Penang or Kedah to Padang Besar," he added.
Yesterday, it was reported that the Transport Ministry announced the implementation of three projects in Kedah with a total estimated cost of more than RM500 million to boost transport service facilities in the northern region.
Its minister, Loke, reportedly said the three projects included plans to upgrade the Kuala Kedah terminal and jetty; the procurement of 12 three-car trains for the North Commuter project; and the construction of a covered motorcycle parking space with lifts at four KTMB stations in the state.
He said KTMB would conduct the procurement of 12 three-car trains, for which the tender was expected to be advertised on June 30 and completion was anticipated to take 36 months.