KUALA LUMPUR: Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd will soon roll out a real-time crowd monitoring system to let passengers see which train coaches are full or less crowded before the train arrives at the platform.
The company’s acting chief executive officer Nor Azmi Mohd Yusof said the initiative is part of ongoing efforts to address congestion and improve the commuting experience for over one million daily users of Klang Valley's rail network.
"Rapid Rail is in the midst of developing a system that will display real-time data on train crowd density by coach.
"With this system, passengers will know in advance which coaches are full and which have more space. It will allow them to queue more comfortably and efficiently at the correct platform doors," he said in a Bernama Radio programme on Monday (Sept 22), discussing efforts to improve public transportation.
On safety enhancements, Nor Azmi revealed that Rapid Rail is also in the process of upgrading its current closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system to artificial intelligence (AI)-based CCTV across all its facilities.
The new AI-enabled system will not only offer better overall surveillance but will also be capable of detecting suspicious behaviour, identifying gender-specific coach usage, and spotting dangerous objects such as weapons.
"We're upgrading our CCTV systems to AI-enabled surveillance, which will help us identify passenger gender in women-only coaches and detect potentially suspicious behaviour," Nor Azmi.
He said these enhancements align with Rapid Rail's commitment to prioritising passenger safety and comfort, particularly for women, who make up approximately 60% of the company's daily ridership.
To further support this demographic, Nor Azmi noted that women-only coaches have already been introduced on the MRT Kajang and Putrajaya lines, as well as the Ampang and Sri Petaling LRT lines.
Addressing public concerns over potential fare hikes, he also clarified that fare adjustments are not under Rapid Rail's jurisdiction and would require approval from the Ministry of Transport.
"Any changes to fares would be the result of negotiations with the ministry. But as of now, there has been no directive from the ministry or from Prasarana. So no worries, fares remain unchanged," he added. - Bernama
