Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd has recently announced that it will terminate social distancing rules in stations and while on board RapidKL trains starting tomorrow (Wednesday, 10th June)!
CEO Abdul Hadi Imran said that the move is in line with the SOP issued by the government in the current recovery movement control order (RMCO) phase.
According to Abdul Hadi, the SOP allows passenger capacity up to 100% in all rail services except the ETS and KTM. While other services namely LRT, MRT and monorail will resume operation as usual. “Social distancing markers in the trains and stations have already been removed,” he said in a statement.
He added, “We at Rapid Rail are hoping that all commuters will be able to comply with the new normal while using our public transportation services. This is to ensure that our continued efforts to curb the spread of the Covid-19 disease will be effective.”
“Besides body temperature screenings, the use of face masks is considered a must for all employees and passengers while on board. We will also provide hand sanitisers along the way. Public transport commuters are also encouraged to go cashless for their transactions, such as Touch ‘n Go cards,” said the CEO.
Abdul Hadi further added that the company is expected to increase its total number of passengers to 750,000, as compared to 200,000 a day during the MCO. “We will ensure that the trains will be regularly cleaned and sanitised,” he was quoted as saying.
Update (Tuesday, 9th June, 4:30pm):
Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had this to say in response to RapidKL’s decision to Rapid Rail’s decision to stop limiting their capacity as the CEO revealed in a statement earlier today.
“RapidKL has no rights to change the regulations that have been set by the government when the guided SOPs specify that there needs to be social distancing on travel services. They can’t just change what has been finalised by the government,” the minister said in a live press conference.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri continued, “Instead of announcing it to the public on their own, they need to request to the National Security Council first. We understand the problem that when social distancing is enforced, it raises their costs because there are less passengers on all railways. But they cannot take action without informing the government. This is wrong. They do not have the National Security Council’s approval.”
Source: Awani. / Featured Image: MMO.
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