WE are writing this open letter with deep concern following the tragic Feb 22 incident at the Titiwangsa light rail transit (LRT) station, where an elderly, visually-impaired man lost his life after falling onto the railway tracks and being struck by a train.
This heartbreaking and preventable tragedy underscores the urgent need for enhanced safety measures across our existing and future rail transit systems.
Public transport should be safe and accessible for all, including the elderly, children and individuals with disabilities.
While Malaysia has made significant strides in developing its rail infrastructure, it is crucial that urgent action is taken on addressing glaring safety gaps to prevent such incidents from recurring.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia had undertaken an accessibility audit of the Titiwangsa LRT station just two months ago, yet this tragedy still occurred. How can this inspire confidence among the public?
Therefore, we urge Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Rapid Rail Management to implement the following eight immediate measures, with additional actions to follow:
- Install platform screen doors (PSD) at all existing and new rail stations. Many modern rail systems worldwide, including those in neighbouring
countries like Singapore, have adopted PSD to
prevent falls onto tracks.
- Enhance tactile flooring and audible alerts. Improve tactile paving as part of a range of platform safety measures to guide passengers, including but not limited to visually impaired individuals, those with dementia, senior citizens, people with cognitive impairments and children. Additionally, ensure
the regular and timely provision of clear audio announcements and warning signals to alert
passengers about approaching trains.
- Increase station staff and improve assistance
services. Ensure that more trained personnel are
stationed at key areas during operating hours to assist passengers with various needs, helping them navigate stations safely and use rail services without the risk of injury or loss of life.
- Develop standard operating procedures (SOP) with enforcement action. Establish clear and
structured SOP with enforcement to ensure uniform safety protocol and passenger assistance across all rail stations. These should include detailed guidelines on passenger assistance, emergency response
measures and station management during peak and non-peak hours. Conduct regular drills and reviews, followed by corrective action as required, to keep staff updated on best practices, ensuring a proactive approach to passenger safety and comfort.
- Enhance comprehensive training for all personnel. Ensure that training is conducted regularly for all
station and rail personnel on appropriate means of assistance for passengers with diverse needs,
including blind persons, wheelchair users, persons with invisible disabilities (for example, persons with dementia and persons with cognitive issues), senior citizens and children. This includes guiding/
assistance techniques, effective communication and emergency response procedures to ensure that all passengers receive the support they need while using the rail system.
The training, monitoring and evaluation must be conducted in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders, including Disabled Peoples’ Organisations as well as organisations concerned with the well-being of senior citizens,
persons living with dementia and children’s
safety, to ensure effective enforcement and implementation.
- Install advanced surveillance and emergency response systems. Strengthen the life-saving and injury-prevention scope of CCTV monitoring and AI-powered detection in Malaysia’s rail system and
networks to identify potential safety hazards in
real-time, enabling rapid response and timely
intervention.
- Conduct public awareness campaigns: Pursue public awareness efforts on a continuous basis to educate passengers about station safety protocols, including special provisions for persons with diverse disabilities, senior citizens and children.
- Reduce platform-trains gaps. Many wheelchair users struggle due to the wide gaps and height
differences between train carriages and station
platforms. Implement gap fillers, ramp systems and better-aligned platform heights, to significantly improve accessibility and safety for wheelchair
users and passengers with mobility, cognitive and psychosocial support needs.
As Penang and other states embark on constructing new LRT systems, we strongly urge the planners and developers to integrate these measures from the planning and blueprint stage.
Designing an inclusive and secure public transport network will not only prevent tragedies but also enhance public confidence in Malaysia’s rail system and networks.
The loss of life due to preventable circumstances is unacceptable. We hope this incident serves as a wake-up call for authorities to take proactive measures to ensure safer public transportation for all passengers.
For Malaysia, incidents like these also result in significant reputational damage with potential economic consequences.
We appreciate your urgent attention to this matter and look forward to seeing decisive action on the above measures.
Christine Lee
Disabled Person and Advocate for Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport
Murugeswaran Veerasamy
President
Damai Disabled Person Association Malaysia
Muhamad Nadhir Abdul Nasir
Presidential Council Member
Communication Chair
Advocacy and Human Rights Committee
Society of the Blind in Malaysia
Also endorsed by 18 organisations representing disabled persons
and eight individuals
