BUKIT MERTAJAM, March 1 — The Ministry of Transport is the process of installing lifts at KTM stations to facilitate and encourage the use of public transport among the elderly, pregnant women and people with disabilities (PWD).

Its minister Anthony Loke said at the same time the ministry is also looking at stations which need to be upgraded or expanded to accommodate the growing number of passengers.

"If we want more people to use public transport we need to improve the service.

"As for congestion at the stations, this only happens for a while during peak hours. But there are plans for us to upgrade but this will take time and we may seek the help of the Railway Assets Corporation in this matter,” he told reporters after checking on Bukit Mertajam KTM Station, here today.

Meanwhile, Loke said the increased train frequency for KTM Komuter Northern Sector trips since Feb 18, saw a rise in the number of passengers using the service from 10,480 people daily to 11,224 which is a seven per cent increase.

He said passengers in the northern sector and the surrounding areas no longer need to wait long at the stations and they are able to arrive at their destination about one hour earlier.

‘The Padang Besar — Butterworth Komuter Train Timetable has been improved by increasing the frequency from 60 minutes to 20 minutes during the morning peak hour and from 60 minutes to 30 minutes during the evening peak hour.

"The Padang Rengas — Butterworth — Padang route will increase in frequency to 120 minutes during off-peak hours as compared to 180 minutes in the past.

"This increases the number of trips for the Padang Besar — Butterworth — Padang Besar route from 26 to 36 trips, while the Padang Rengas — Butterworth — Padang Rengas route increases from 12 to 16 trips a day.

Loke said the North Sector KTM Komuter service improvement was able to meet the increasing number of passengers using the train to go about their daily life.

"Based on my observation today, many who live in Kedah and Perlis work in Penang and the train is their preferred mode of transportation. With the increased frequency and number of trips, more will seek employment opportunities in Penang,” he said. — Bernama