THE KTM Komuter is a lifeline to many people in Seremban. They depend on it to go to KL Sentral and back.
KL Sentral has the most connectivity lines within the Klang Valley, such as the LRT, Monorail, MRT, ETS and ERL services.
The Komuter train is the most convenient, cheap and comfortable means of travel between Seremban and KL Sentral.
It used to take about one hour and 40 minutes to reach KL Sentral from Seremban and vice versa.
The early morning express train service with limited stops takes about one hour and 20 minutes.
However, as of late, the Komuter train services have gone from bad to worse.
Last Sunday, I took the Komuter from Seremban station at 10.20am and reached KL Sentral at 12.40am.
It took me almost two hours and 30 minutes.
Along the way, there were numerous stops between stations.
We stopped more than five times between stations and each stop took about 10 to 15 minutes.
Announcements were made regularly to inform passengers that they were waiting for signal clearance, waiting for another Komuter to pass or waiting for the ETS to go through.
In the evening when I boarded the 7pm Komuter train from KL Sentral, I reached Seremban at 9.40pm.
As usual, there were numerous stops between the stations.
The services between Seremban and KL Sentral are at 45-minute intervals during off-peak hours.
There are times in the schedule during weekdays and weekends when there is no service for at least two hours.
During weekdays, if you miss the 8am Komuter train to KL Sentral from Seremban, the next Komuter will come at 10am. And if you miss the 12pm train, the next one would be at 2pm.
It is the same for Komuter trains from KL Sentral to Seremban, there is a gap of two hours in the schedule where there is no Komuter service.
People who stay in Seremban and work in Kuala Lumpur are dependent on the Komuter train as there is no other way to get to KL Sentral from Seremban and back.
In the old days when there was no Komuter service, we relied on the bus to travel between Seremban and KL.
The Mara bus service was the most reliable, state-of-the-art and fastest way of travel to KL and back.
Other bus services competed with Mara on the Seremban–KL route. It was the hottest bus route.
When we walked into the bus terminal, there were four or five lanes with Mara buses.
Service was regular and there was a departure every half an hour. Sometimes when the buses were full, they would take off regardless of the scheduled departure time.
This bus service came to an end when the KTM Komuter train service came into force.
Today, the bus service between KL and Seremban is scheduled at odd hours. There is no regular bus route between KL and Seremban.
Commuters are left without a choice as the only way to go to KL Sentral is via the Komuter train.
Furthermore, KTM said they are upgrading services, lines and double tracking for future convenience.
According to an announcement I heard from KTM, the upgrading exercise between Bandar Tasik Selatan and Seremban would only be completed in 2030.
I think this is grossly unfair to go through such inconveniences today for tomorrow’s comfort.
The least KTM could do is to have bus services between Seremban and KL Sentral during this upgrading exercise.
They should be timed during the two-hour gap in the KTM Komuter schedule.
Bus companies should also join the bandwagon and reintroduce bus services between KL and Seremban.
We need to address this upgrading exercise issue, which is causing much distress and inconvenience to commuters as the KL Sentral–Seremban route is the most popular and crowded Komuter line.
We need to bring back the bus service for this route while KTM is carrying out the upgrading exercise.
The long hours of waiting and travelling during the upgrading works should be looked into seriously as people should not be made to suffer for future comfort.
We cannot be inconveniencing people for seven years.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
