I refer to the reports today in various newspapers of the passengers trapped in the Putra LRT trains yesterday evening. I really take offence with the statements by the Jalan Hang Tuah Fire and Rescue Department and Rapid KL's senior corporate manager who were not truthful and glossed over the exact details of the event.
- Services did not resume at 7.30pm, It could not have as for us stuck between the Masjid Jamek and Dang Wangi stations, we only got out of the train at 7.40pm.
I am extremely upset that none of the news reports came down hard on Rapid KL for such a traumatic event for a lot of us. The staff were rude and brusque after the whole ordeal.
How difficult is it to make an announcement to the affected customers? How can a big company like RapidKL that manages the LRT lines not know how to communicate with its passengers?
I was on the 6.30pm Putra LRT train when it stopped moving between the Masjid Jamek and Dang Wangi stations. Incidences of the trains stalling, especially after a downpour, are normal. Regular commuters even expect it.
But yesterday was different. At the Masjid Jamek station before boarding, after waiting for 10 minutes at the platform, there was an announcement that they were experiencing technical difficulties and that trains will move slower than usual. When the next train did come along at 6.30pm, passengers moved in. But I grew a tad concerned when I overheard two RapidKL staff saying that it would be risky ride on that particular train.
True enough, hardly had the train moved for two minutes when it stalled. Over the next one hour, there were at least three announcements, beseeching passengers to be patient with their 'technical glitches' and that train will start moving shortly. This only served to anger passengers even more as the train had been immobilised for the past 30 minutes.
And to make matters worse, there were no phone signals. Everyone was either frantically trying to call or SMS out, but to no avail. Passengers were getting agitated and were trying to pry open the doors and break the windows.
Fifty minutes into this ordeal, the power went off and we were all plunged into darkness and left without any air. That's when passengers started getting panicky. Just when I was feeling lightheaded myself, one of the doors was pried open by a fireman.
No explanations, no representatives from RapidKL to assist the passengers. When we made it back to the Masjid Jamek station, the shutters were down, as with all the ticketing machines. Not a single kind comforting word from any of the RapidKL staff.
I finally made it back home at 10.30pm, turning a 30-minute commute into four hours.
My questions to SPNB therefore are:
- What is the SoP (standard operating procedure) for emergencies?
How can passengers communicate with the control room when all the mechanisms to do so in the train do not serve their purpose? We were pressing the red button and smashing the glass and yet nobody got back to us.
I am angry. And fearful. Why can't Malaysian companies really think of the many lives that are in their hands daily and do everything in their power to safeguard it?
Customer service is not just about smiling faces and a friendly approach. It is about the value and worth attached to each and every customer.
And I detest knowing that Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad, which owns RapidKL, thinks that my life is expendable.
