Pahang may out UMNO-BN because of poor train service - Kuala Lipis - Bahau?

UMNO-BN government failed to maintain and upgrade the existing train service in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The quality of service have not be developed - just compare it with the west coast train line and services. The people of the east coast have just one train from Tumpat to JB, and one back...when there really should have been at the very least 2 trains train services from Tumpat to JB and back every day, and additional 3 shuttle services running - now no shuttle service at all between Kuala Lipis - Jerantut - Mentakab - Bahau - Gemas?

West coast have the ETS - but what about the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia ...about Sabah and Sarawak?

YES - under the UMNO-BN, a shuttle services that ran 2 or 3 times one way and back...but not for the people from Kuala Lipis to Bahau...Gemas, who have ZERO shuttle services ...Train services are an important mode of public transport for especially the poor, and for purpose of development..

YES, the most discriminated are the people from Kuala Lipis, Jerantut, Kuala Krau, Mentakab, Triang, Kemayan, Bahau, Gemas - WHY? No shuttle service at all...There are 3 huttle service from Tumpat going to Dabong, and 3 from Dabong to Tumpat...There are 2 shuttle services from Dabong to Gua Musang, and 2 from Gua Musang to Dabong, there are 2 shuttle service from Gua Musang to Kuala Lipis, and 2 from Kuala Lipis to Gua Musang...BUT ZERO SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM KUALA LIPIS TO GEMAS, AND ZERO FROM GEMAS TO KUALA LIPIS - the route that will service the people of Kuala Lipis, Jerantut, Kuala Krau, Mentakab, Temerloh, Triang, Kemayan, Bahau, Gemas.

For the people of  this route between Kuala Lipis and Gemas - they now just get one train  from JB to Tumpat daily, and one from Tumpat to JB every day... What is even worse, is that the state of Pahang has and is still being governed by the UMNO-BN government....

Train service from Tumpat to Johor Bahru serves the people of the East Coast - Kelantan, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Johor ...most importantly the line up to and from Gemas(since after Gemas it shares a common route with the West Coast track).

Now, there is one train going North to Tumpat ...and one train service going south...and one can board the train at 3 - 4 am in Mentakab. At one time, I believe that there were 2 train services... 

KTM ETS stands for (Electric Train Service) is an inter-city rail service operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad utilizing electric multiple units. It is the fastest metre gauge train service in Malaysia that currently operates along the electrified and double-tracked stretch of the West Coast Line between Gemas and Padang Besar on the Malaysia-Thai border by the Malaysian national railway operator, Kereta Api Tanah Melayu. The trains travel up to 160 km/h (99 mph) on electrified metre gauge rail line which can be considered as higher speed rail based on passenger rail terminology instead of high speed rail. Do the East Coast have an ETS?

Comparatively, the West Coast train services have been upgraded...compared with the East Coast train services....REMEMBER, HERE WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT NEW ECRL project ...

Jadual KTM Intercity Sektor Timur – Selatan

Shuttle Timur

Ekspres Rakyat Timuran

Many people, especially the poor in Pahang and Kelantan, and even Trengganu depend on this cheaper form of public transport. 

2014 Floods...affected the train services...BUT really how long does it take to get the train services running as usual...4 years plus??? 

When a public transport service is disrupted for 'too long', people will be forced to look at alternative means of transport...so, then the government turns around and say, there really is not enough consumers?  If there is REGULAR efficient and dependable public transport, people will use it...They will not need to take out extra money(and ending up with debts) buying car or motorbike and spending so much on petrol (and even tols)...

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICE IS A GOVERNMENT OBLIGATION (Profits never the motive, just public service...)

Like electricity and water, train services is a public transport service - and public transport, even if not 'PROFITABLE' must be made available to all - even if the government has to subsidize it...just like 10 homes in a Kampung some 30 - 50km  Km from the nearest town still deserves electricity and piped water...and likewise will need public amenities.

So, NOW the train departs from Mentakab around 3.30 am...and also arrives around that time ...BUT how are the people to get to this train station and go home. There is no public bus service...and not even a 24 hour metered taxi service which one can call.

Public transport - like a train service is an important 'infra structure' that will attract people to set up factories(hence employment) ...because then, they can use the trains to transport their products...

Train service is essential as it can reduce the need for people to use their private cars(all with fuel prices and tols going up)...2 Prime Ministers from Pahang - Razak and now his son, Najib but alas why has the train service in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in Pahanag too not been maintained, or upgraded...

Sadly, during the tenure of the current UMNO-BN PM, his focus has been the Klang Valley and maybe Putrajaya...what about the rest of the country?

There is also a question of why this east coast train service is not joined to the Southern Thailand train service...It would have been good for trade and also tourism...one could simply take the train from Pahang and Kelantan all the way to Bangkok...and back...by TRAIN? 

Did the UMNO-BN expand the train routes in Peninsular Malaysia - NO - Why? These lines are all set up by the British colonial government...Was it our Malaysian Car Proton that ensured the non-development or lack of development of basic public transport even in the Peninsular Malaysia?

From Mentakab, Jerantut or Triang...you want to go to KL by train - Can - you first go to GEMAS and then up to KL...and its takes so many many hours? 

Was keeping Kelantan, Trengganu, Pahang and East Johor deprived of an efficient train service and public transport...part of the UMNO-BN strategy to keep people in these states poor...remember, majority are Malay? 

Thanks to the poor development plans, the people in these states are  forced to travel to KL and the West Coast for jobs? Now, with fuel cost and tols rising ...the cost of travel of these people of these states to return home to their 'kampung' increases...With the AES, cost of travelling by car will increase...for they are going to summon people for even driving 1 km/hour above the speed limit (Foolish and unreasonable, expecting drivers to be looking at their speedometer all the time - there should be a 10-15 km/hour relaxation ...so no summons if someone is just travelling at 100 km/hour in a 90 km/h road..).

The people on the East Coast and many other parts of Malaysia  are discriminated against compared to those from Klang Valley and the West Coast - because they have this 'extra' travel cost...and also the extra hardship of being separated from their homes/kampungs,etc ..even when it comes to General Elections - how much time and money will be expended to go back home to vote? Will they get 1-2 days paid public holidays ...or will they be expected to 'rush' back home and back to just vote?

POSTAL BALLOTS for Malaysians working/studying in other towns - not their home towns where they are registered voters...Well, after 60 years, we still do not have this - so we are all expected to travel back to vote - a lot of money and time wasted for the 15 minutes needed to just cast a vote.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT - Well, in Temerloh(the 2nd largest town in Pahang), there is still no metered taxi service - well, this means that the taxi can charge you anything - 'take it or leave it'...

No radio taxi (or a phone in taxi service) - so, suddenly when one has to get a taxi to even go see a doctor or go the police station to make a police report - it is literally impossible ...(option maybe some local 'kereta sapu' ...or a neighbour with a car?). In 1960s or 1970s - well, that would have been OK - but in 2018?

Town Bus Services - well, interestingly until about the 1980s - there was a regular (almost every half an hour), a bus that one could get to get to town...and neighbouring town. A bus service that stops at every bus-stops...now, we do not see it all ....Last time, every bus stop, had a time-table of bus services - so we knew, what time the bus going where will come ...now no more.

Big corporations have allegedly taken over most bus-services in Malaysia, and it is very difficult for small companies to get bus permits...and these corporations/companies(many of whom are GLCs) have discontinued many routes because not profitable. As I mentioned, public transport especially bus services are generally not 'profitable' - it is a service provided to the people...

Some say, PROTON was the problem - why? Well the UMNO-BN government started making cars ...and no people in other countries was really interested in buying the Proton - so, to survive, cars needed to be sold...so, looks like the UMNO-BN government strategy was to 'destroy' efficiency or maintain inefficiency of public transport(busses, trains) ...so more people HAD TO bus a cheap Malaysian car to survive...

TEMERLOH has expanded with all the new housing areas...and we need town bus services that run through the various tamans/kampungs to the government departments/train stations/hospitals/shops running at least from morning to midnight(or later)...and if no private company is interested, then the government must implement it through possibly the State government(or the Local Council)...

LRT, MRT and Commuter Trains - well UMNO-BN obviously is only concerned about the Klang Valley - it should be made available in all towns and parts of Malaysia..

Ideally, a Malaysian should not need to OWN a car ...and can travel anywhere using public transport. A car should be a 'LUXURY"...something for leisure and family outings...

Penang and Selangor allegedly wanted PERMITS to get a bus-service going BUT UMNO-BN allegedly said 'NO' - so they started the free bus service... 

KTMB is looking after the trains in Malaysia - and, they seem to have failed to MAINTAIN and UPGRADE the train service in Malaysia...Should we just nationalize the train service?...and get rid of KTMB? 

UMNO-BN has failed...KTMB has failed? Maybe the maintenance and upgrade of the train service should be taken back by the government itself...and all KTMB workers made public servants...

NOT LOOKING AT THE ECRL - just the existing train service in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia ...

Najib and the Transport Minister must really take the train from Tumpat to Johor Baru...and then, they will understand...

Maybe, Pakatan Harapan and the other Opposition Party leaders should also do the same ...

Politicians need to go down to the ground ...and really experience the problems of the people...