PUTRAJAYA: A comprehensive plan is underway to enhance public transportation in Malaysia, with a special emphasis on improving connectivity in the Klang Valley.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said the initiatives, to be implemented in phases, would be a key focus in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), to be introduced in July next year.
He said the government was targeting improvements in three key areas: Bus services, rail networks, and the "first and last mile" issues.
"For a start, bus stations in Kuala Lumpur will be upgraded in phases beginning next year, along with improvement to pedestrian walkways.
"For bus services, efforts will include expanding connectivity and coverage, with more dedicated lanes in Kuala Lumpur to also be introduced," he said during a press conference at the Transport Ministry today.
Rafizi said measures included complementing the existing public transport network such as the mass rapid transit (MRT), light-rail transit (LRT) and bus services, as well as considering the Kuala Lumpur autonomous rail transit (KL ART).
He said the rail network would be expanded to improve services and enhance the passenger experience, with the government considering expanding the demand-responsive transit (DRT) to improve the first-mile-last-mile connectivity.
"To achieve 80 per cent railway track utilisation in the peninsula by 2030, the government, spearheaded by the Transport Ministry, has developed a phased plan to increase passenger train services across Malaysia, targeting the operation of 299 passenger trains nationwide by 2030.
"We currently have 68 passenger train sets and one of the ways to scale up is through leasing."
He said the National Transport Policy 2019-2030 had set a target to achieve 40 per cent public transport usage by 2030.
"To achieve this target, the Economy Ministry and Transport Ministry conducted a strategic workshop on May 17 to identify key investments needed to enhance and expand the public transport network.
"Following this, a comprehensive plan is being developed, encompassing investment strategies and a detailed implementation plan."
He said the plan was presented at the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) meeting on July 1.
Rafizi said the issues of low rail density and bus availability had led to car ownership rates in the Klang Valley being among the highest in the world.
In the Klang Valley, there are just 0.21 buses for every 1,000 people, he said.
"These services cover 323 routes, but only nine per cent of these routes operate at a frequency of one to 15 minutes, 63 per cent operate every 16 to 30 minutes, and 28 per cent operate at intervals of more than 30 minutes.
"For rail services, if the length of rail routes is divided by the geographical area, rail connectivity in the Klang Valley is only 7.9 metres per square kilometre compared to developed countries like the United Kingdom (67.5 metres per sqkm) and Singapore (352 metres per sqkm)," he said in a statement later.
Overall, only 55 per cent of the Klang Valley was covered by rail and bus services, leaving many areas without any form of public transport connectivity, he said.
Meanwhile, Rafizi said, 70 per cent of the total passenger rail capacity in Peninsular Malaysia was underutilised, with only 68 passenger trains operating nationwide.