KTM (Malayan Railway) Thread

[travellator]

17-03-2008: A hiccup in rail deal
by Sharmila Ganapathy

KUALA LUMPUR: A late bid by French power generation and rail transport giant Alstom for the installation of the electrification and signalling systems of the multi-billion ringgit railway double-tracking project between Ipoh and Padang Besar has potentially lowered the overall cost by a significant amount.

However, the bid, which was backed by a senior minister in the previous Cabinet, has caused uncertainty for the main contractors, a joint venture between MMC Corp Bhd and Gamuda Bhd, and could further complicate matters in the huge construction job.

The Edge has learnt that the Alstom bid has lowered the bidding price of the coveted signalling system subcontract by as much as RM900 million or 30% compared to the joint bid by the initial frontrunners Balfour Beatty Plc and Siemens AG.

While the depressed bid price is good for the Gamuda-MMC consortium and the double-tracking project as a whole, it is not healthy as it is learnt that Alstom was knocked out in the pre-qualification process, leaving only Balfour Beatty and Siemens to fight for the job.

“Because the Alstom bid was backed by the minister and it came after the pre-qualification process, the contractors could be forced to re-open that part of the tender. The main problem is competition risk as the contractors cannot afford delays. Any cost due to delays would have to be borne by the contractors themselves,” said a source.

Gamuda and MMC were awarded the 392-km Ipoh to Padang Besar double-tracking project on a design-and-build basis for a lump sum price of RM12.49 billion.

Sources said Alstom had initially put in a bid but did not get past the pre-qualification process. Only Siemens and Balfour Beatty were short listed and the two decided to make a joint proposal for the job instead of competing with each other. Subsequently, Alstom came back into the picture via the assistance of a prominent local businessman and a senior Cabinet minister.

It is learnt that the matter was brought up in the Cabinet and subsequently the main contractors were told to re-consider the bid. Subsequently, the price of the electrification and systems job, which was initially estimated at RM2.8 billion, came down. The portion of the job is the largest in the entire project.

The railway job is being handled by Alstom’s unit based in Singapore while the Malaysian branch is more concentrated on the power sector.

Malaysian-based Alstom Power Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd country president Saji Raghavan confirmed that the company had put in its bid for the northern double-tracking project in August.

“We have bid for one of the largest projects, the northern double-tracking and we are pushing the subject like any other bidder and hopefully we’ll know the results sooner than later,” he said, declining to elaborate.

The meddling of the senior minister in the project amidst the current political scenario does not do much to lessen complications for the main contractors. State governments in Perak, Selangor, Penang and Kedah where the entire double-track railway runs through, have fallen into the hands of the opposition, causing speculation that the project may face implementation risk and delays.

In January, The Edge Weekly wrote that the UK-based Balfour Beatty, Germany-based Siemens, Westinghouse Rail Systems Ltd (also from the UK), Italy’s Ansaldo STS SpA and Alstom were eyeing the signalling system portion of the project.

Ironically, while Alstom and Balfour are hotly competing for the northern double-tracking project here, they have been known to work together globally. Last October, the two companies pooled resources to form a 50-50 joint-venture company called Signalling Solutions Ltd, drawing on the signalling systems experience of both companies to cater to the railway signalling markets in the UK and Ireland.

[rizalhakim]

Lingkaran kereta api mengelilingi Lembah Klang
17/04/2008 1:18pm

oleh Nizam Yatim

KUALA LUMPUR 17 April - Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) telah mengemukakan cadangan kepada kerajaan untuk membina landasan kereta api lingkaran luar yang berbentuk bulatan mengelilingi kawasan pinggir Lembah Klang.

Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Ong Tee Keat berkata, landasan sejauh 70 kilometer yang bertujuan mengurangkan kesesakan di ibu kota akan bersambung dengan stesen kereta api dan transit aliran ringan (LRT) sedia ada dan dibuat secara bertingkat. - Utusan

[allurban]

Well, the idea of a ring line is a good one.

But my question is, can KTM actually carry this out? I mean, they havent got enough trains to offer decent service today. If they build this line, it would require a huge investment based on this proposal.

The other thing is that this line that would have little opportunity to profit early on because travel patterns do not favour this route. If there were a bus route already running along the MRRII (roughly following this route) that was getting good passenger levels, then it would be logical to build the rail line.

On the other hand...I favour KTM getting in step with future demand and creating a "rapid" KTM service. It is nice to see KTM catching Prasarana/Rapid off guard. Prasarana/Rapid should be building a loop line as well, from Sentul to Seri Petaling via Damansara and PJ.

Perhaps now Prasarana/Rapid might get its act together?

Hmmm...another thought...does this line need to be elevated? Why not just follow the alignment of the MRRII? The train could run at street level for much of this route which would save a lot of costs.

Cheers, m

[rizalhakim]

KTM Adding Five Commuter Trains In Two Years


By Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has bought five new sets of commuter trains expected to be received within the next two years in an effort to improve services.

KTMB Commuter Service general manager Mohd Zain Taha said the additional sets were to make up for the shortage, with only 35 sets left out of the total 50.

"Fifteen sets of the commuter trains which have been sent for repairs are old, with problems like faulty air-conditioning and engines.

"The repairs will take time because some spareparts have to be imported or are no longer in the market. So we have to find other sources," he said when contacted by Bernama here Monday.

Mohd Zain said the train sets in active operation still needed to be taken to the depot regularly for checks and maintenance, hence causing the train journeys to be rescheduled and resulting in delays of up to 20 minutes at times.

However, he said KTMB informed commuters about every train delay or cancellation of service to enable them to decide whether to wait or take alternative transport.

"The station master can also change the date on the paid ticket which can be used on another day."

Mohd Zain said KTMB would like to apologise to its commuters for the delays or cancellation of service, in response to such complaints from commuters of late.

He said KTMB was trying its best to provide efficient service to the public, including carrying out daily train maintenance work to avoid breakdowns that caused delays and cancellations.

-- BERNAMA

[forrestcat]

Five? I thought theywere gonna buy 8 sets of 4 car commuter trains and 5 sets for Rawang-Ipoh line?

[TWK90]

I thought train purchases should have announcement of manufacturer? At least that gives us the clue of how the future trainsets will look like...

[forrestcat]

I think KTM having really bad problems with the Class 81 coz Jenbacher no longer exist, I think with the new commuters coming, the EMU fleet will keep shrinking every year if we consider the whole Class 81 fleet could go kaput anytime or cannibalized for parts. The fact that only 5-8 sets are bought shows how little the gahmen cares fro public transportation .

[TWK90]

I fear the worst next year or so, if the Batu Caves extension come into operation... Obviously, not enough EMU to service whole network....five 4 car EMU set, for me, not enough to accomodate future extensions, maybe including beyond Seremban...

Then the KL-Ipoh rapid intercity trainset, also got delays...it is sad to see such delays happen because Rawang-Ipoh project construction period was not short, so they have luxury of choosing manufacturers....

If the KL-Ipoh EMU comes from Japan/Korea, then where does the new Komuter EMU will come from?

[forrestcat]

My bet is from Rotem again. Union Carriage is not really a big player in rail industry anymore.

KL(Klang Valley), population of about 3-4 million is served by only 35 EMUs.Meanwhile, Melbourne which has 3.8 million is served by 160 EMUs!!! And they've ordered 20 more EMUs and all their EMUs are 6-8 cars long!!

[TWK90]

Rotem? Not surprised to see if it is like this...Korea/Japan consortium, whereby in Class 83,

Rotem (or Hyundai at that time), builds the body, while Mitsubishi supplied the power unit....

Here's my recent photo of the refurbished Class 83...




35 out of 50 EMU, haha....sometimes, when i wait at KTM halts around Klang Valley, it is not surprising to see passengers feel some discomfort and inconvenient because almost frequent delays...

[forrestcat]

Reconfiguring the sears to be longitudinal is really smart of KTM.This shows that KTMB is aware the trains is accommodating more and more people and is doing something about it.

Here's website to rotem if you'd like to see what they offer.
http://www.rotem.co.kr/eng/main_html...=%222-1-0-M%22

[mrtfreak]

Originally Posted by forrestcat

My bet is from Rotem again. Union Carriage is not really a big player in rail industry anymore.

KL(Klang Valley), population of about 3-4 million is served by only 35 EMUs.Meanwhile, Melbourne which has 3.8 million is served by 160 EMUs!!! And they've ordered 20 more EMUs and all their EMUs are 6-8 cars long!!

Just came back from Melbourne. The EMUs are 3-cars long but during peak hours are joined into 6-car formation, similar to how KTM did some time ago. Not too sure if they're still doing it.

Would these 5 trains be an interim measure on top of the previously announced 8 trains?

[allurban]

Originally Posted by forrestcat

Five? I thought theywere gonna buy 8 sets of 4 car commuter trains and 5 sets for Rawang-Ipoh line?

Originally Posted by mrtfreak

Just came back from Melbourne. The EMUs are 3-cars long but during peak hours are joined into 6-car formation, similar to how KTM did some time ago. Not too sure if they're still doing it.

Would these 5 trains be an interim measure on top of the previously announced 8 trains?

No, they are not. The government cut back the plan for 8x of 4-carriage EMU to 5x 3-carriage EMUs.

The government is not supporting KTM properly, so KTMB comes out the with wierd Outer Ring Rail proposal. KTMB knows things are bad but they cannot speak out.

I think one good way to get things done is to make the public transport committee into a parliamentary committee instead of a cabinet committee.

Im trying to get the politicians and FOMCA and others to push for this open committee. Right now FOMCA doesnt say much about the cost of transport but Im hoping to change their thinking.

What is really important now in the Klang Valley is integrating services. It would be great to have the Serendah bypass to get most KTM freight trains out of the Klang Valley...then Komuter service can operate more freely.

I am working on a proposal that would allow higher KTM frequency between the major stations in KL and push the integration of services as well.

It is pretty radical tho.

Part 1)

RapidKL should extend the Ampang LRT from Sentul Timur to Kepong Sentral before concentrating on other extensions. This will allow them to link with the Sentul line at the new Sentul Integrated Station (Sentul North?) and the Tg.Malim-Seremban line at Kepong Sentral. This would help by reducing some of the pressure on the KTM services. Passengers can transfer to the LRT line at Kepong instead of Bandaraya which means reduced delays in KL for KTM services and it also means more passengers for RapidKL up in Kepong and Selayang and Sentul.

The extension would be able to pay for itself quickly.

Part 2)

Since KTM doesnt have enough EMU trains, I would suggest that KTM service be divided into 2 types based on 2 technologies - EMU service becomes MRT and is cut back to service the Klang Valley only...e.g BTS-Kepong, Batu Caves to Petaling (maybe Subang Jaya). Service in the outer areas is provided by diesel shuttle diesel trains.

EMUs stop at KL Sentral and Kuala Lumpur, diesels will stop at Kuala Lumpur and other outdoor stations. Trains would bypass KL Sentral using the yard tracks.

This gives us MRT-like service on KTM lines (5 minute peak frequency from KL Sentral up to Putra station and 7 minutes frequency north of Putra and south of KL Sentral).

It's not an ideal solution but there is no way KTMB can have more EMUs ready in time to provide expanded services...so we have to improvise.

Cheers, m

[allurban]

Originally Posted by forrestcat

Reconfiguring the sears to be longitudinal is really smart of KTM.This shows that KTMB is aware the trains is accommodating more and more people and is doing something about it.

I agree but there is one problem...the seats are still too narrow.

I think they are designed for smaller Malaysians...even today, some of the larger Malaysian men and women cannot sit on those seats without coming into close proximity with others. Shoulders and hips bumping each other...it can be very uncomfortable.

Cheers, m

[forrestcat]

Originally Posted by allurban

No, they are not. The government cut back the plan for 8x of 4-carriage EMU to 5x 3-carriage EMUs.

The government is not supporting KTM properly, so KTMB comes out the with wierd Outer Ring Rail proposal. KTMB knows things are bad but they cannot speak out.

not supporting..more like do not care at all!!!

@allurban

if public transport becomes a parliamentary committee...the parliament will decide on public transport issues rather than the useless MOT?

If yes,This is a good decision!!! I wonder , u wrote for Malaysiakini now and then, maybe u should channel this idea through Malaysiakini too. Maybe u have? Seems opposition also don't focus much on PT.

[mrtfreak]

Reducing from 8 trains of 4 carriages to 5 trains of 3 carriages is pathetic.

[TWK90]

Well, with the 5 three car EMUs, it will not make any difference to the number of EMUs in their inventory, in fact the ratio of operable EMUs to the network length is worsened, because the number of stations in Komuter network increases more than the number of EMUs...

So, in this case, blaming KTMB for this, is not fair because KTMB relies on federal government for any upgrades in their service and also purchasing of new rolling stocks...

[mrtfreak]

Whoever is in charge of planning these extensions and rolling stock purchase could do with a lot more foresight. Usually the rolling stock inventory gets spread thinner as extensions open up, so they purchase new rolling stock in conjunction with the construction of the extensions. However, in this case... I think the classic example would be the KL-Ipoh rapid train service.

[allurban]

Originally Posted by TWK90

Well, with the 5 three car EMUs, it will not make any difference to the number of EMUs in their inventory, in fact the ratio of operable EMUs to the network length is worsened, because the number of stations in Komuter network increases more than the number of EMUs...

So, in this case, blaming KTMB for this, is not fair because KTMB relies on federal government for any upgrades in their service and also purchasing of new rolling stocks...

agreed...if they had bought these trains years ago, there would be an improvement but they are regulated to playing catch up for the next few years.

Hence my radical proposal.

@ forrestcat

if public transport becomes a parliamentary committee...the parliament will decide on public transport issues rather than the useless MOT?

If yes,This is a good decision!!! I wonder , u wrote for Malaysiakini now and then, maybe u should channel this idea through Malaysiakini too. Maybe u have? Seems opposition also don't focus much on PT.

Yes, the idea is that with a parliamentary committee there would be more openness and more feedback about public transportation. There would also be more awareness and public feedback, since MPs and ADUN would have to go to the ground and try to figure out a national public transport strategy.

These ideas are outlined in my proposal to the Ministry of Finance, which I will also forward to all political parties, KTM, RapidKL, SPNB, etc. I will have Malaysiakini publish some parts of the proposal soon.

We will have to see what happens afterwards.

Cheers, m

[allurban]

A friend of mine who is interning in KTM's marketing department asked me to post this design he finished.



Cheers, m