Wanted: MRT/LRT Nazi

It has become a rare sight to see a MRT or LRT  train that is not too crowded these days. Evidently, there is a need to upgrade these mass transport vehicles to expand capacity in order to carry the ever increasing number of passengers. Why our government can not seem to act fast enough to address this problem is indeed very frustrating.

But while crowding is already a problem in these two train services, the problem is made worse by the lack of discipline of many passengers who have the habit of planting themselves near the doors of the trains. As a result space in the interior of the train remains unused and the carrying capacity of the trains is not maximized. During rush hours when the trains are really crowded, it has also become an ordeal to get in and out of the trains.

There are supposed to be new wagons arriving and that will certainly help ease the problem. But that will not happen till many many months away. In the meantime, what can be done is to improve passenger discipline and make them aware of what they can do to help not exacerbate the problem. For instance, they should be made aware not to block the ingress and egress of other passengers and only those who are alighting at the next station should be allowed to stand near the door in order to be able to get out immediately when the trains stop.

For this to happen, maybe what is needed is to have a MRT/LRT nazi who will enforce this kind of discipline.