OKU-friendly Putrajaya MRT a hit among users

Greater mobility: Commuters arriving at Putrajaya Sentral soon after the new line began operating. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA: Happy and relieved – that’s how commuters describe the opening of the Putrajaya MRT Line, which services areas that are difficult to access using public transport.

Persons with disabilities (OKU) association manager H. Gobi Harikrishnasamy, 58, said he was happy at the availability of the OKU-friendly facilities at the new line.

“At least 300 members of my association use public transport everyday either for hospital visits or business, so having this new line gives us more mobility to go places we normally could not.

“I really appreciate that they kept up the standards of the OKU-friendly facilities as with the older lines,” added Gobi, who runs his own general business company.

Freelance programmer Teoh Han Hui, 34, was thrilled that he would be able to access the city centre without having to drive a car.

“From the nearby MRT station at Kampung Selamat, I can go to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre without getting stuck in traffic or swapping train lines.

“I can easily find more cafes to do my work,” said Theo, who is working for a US tech startup. He added that the next step would be to increase feeder buses.

Retiree Mizan Lim Abdullah, 62, said he was relieved now that there is an easy and affordable way to travel to meet his friends.

“Some of my fellow retired friends live in areas that used to have little public transport access like Cyberjaya.

“We used to meet by driving our cars to a hangout spot but that has become difficult as we grow older especially when traffic congestion keeps getting worse.

“With the new line, we can meet at a train station anywhere along the rail network,” he said.

The new line, operated by Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, saw at least 200 commuters rush to catch the first train from the Putrajaya Sentral MRT Station, chief executive officer Amir Hamdan said at the event yesterday.

Amir predicted that at least 100,000 commuters would be using the new line over the next year.