KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 — Malaysia needs more engineers who can handle sophisticated train systems, in line with the aspiration to achieve a developed nation status with public land transportation in 10 years.
Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal said a lack of manpower in the sector resulted in Malaysia using the services of foreign engineers, such as those from the United Kingdom, to smoothen tasks involving the use of new technologies in the train system.
“This is the problem we are now facing. Other than needing them (engineers) to develop our own train system, there are also other nations needing their services.
“So, whether we want to or not, we have to be considerate by providing the service we are able to provide, and they actually respect Malaysia as a Muslim nation which has good land transportation system,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after opening a seminar, 'The Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE)' which was organised by IRSE Malaysia Section and Spad Academy at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations Malaysia here today.
According to Mohd Nur, the issue on requirement for engineers should be tackled soon as Malaysia also aspired to boost train service frequency to 40 per cent by 2030, from the current 18 per cent.
“This frequency is crucial because the population in the Klang Valley would have increased from the present six million to 10 million. As such, we need to speed up efforts to help passengers during peak periods,” he said.
Apart from the Klang Valley, the frequency would also encompass other cities such as Johor Baharu and Penang, he added.
Meanwhile, IRSE president David Weedon said it was committed to ensure safety remained a priority in efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the railway system.
“It is for this reason that IRSE Malaysian Section is organising its first technical seminar today, in partnership with the Spad Academy.
“It will enable engineers working in their relevant areas to learn about the latest development in signalling and telecommunications, as well as hear from engineers and practitioners to better understand the implementation plans and issues,” he said. — Bernama
