PETALING JAYA: For career railwayman and former railway regulator Yuslizar Daud (pic), shifting more cargo onto our railroads requires comprehensive data of both road and rail utilisation and capacity.
“We need to know the tonnage of the existing, future growth (30-year profile) of rail and road haulage so as to develop a comprehensive plan as this provides a good platform in terms of the transition of cargo from road to rail,” said the former head of the Land Public Transport Commission’s (SPAD) rail division.
He said that in fostering this transition, the details matter just as much as lofty pronouncements.
“For example, transferring just 2% of the volume of road freight load here to rail will subject rail capacity to an increase demand by 25%, and planners need to know this.
“Therefore, a comprehensive assessment is crucial to strike a good balance so as not to choke the railway network,” said Yuslizar, who has also worked in the United Kingdom and elsewhere before taking on the SPAD (now the Land Public Transport Agency) appointment.
With KTMB’s network already being congested with more ETS and Komuter trains running (and typically given priority over cargo), any move to migrate 4% of the cargo from roads will choke the rail network that is shared by other services such as special charters and intercity trains (from Gemas to Tumpat).
This would leave only a 30-40% capacity margin on the KTMB network, after taking into account the 20% spare capacity for contingencies.
“To ensure all trains move unhindered, it essential to incorporate a robust assessment that takes into account current and future data and operational standards.
“In particular, rail planners must factor in some spare network capacity to accommodate potential perturbations and ensure system reliability under stress and a quantitative benchmark must be done to ensure the success of the synergy between the road and rail.
“This type of planning for growth must be rich in details, and not consist merely of lofty statements or simplistic tabletop projections,” Yuslizar said.
