BY: JASMIN ABDULLAH

From the days of coal-fired steam-engined locomotives, travelling by rail in modern cities has taken on a completely new dimension, and aims to cut down on travel time over long distances and between countries.

There seems to be no turning back as in countries like Japan, Germany, the United States and India, networks of rail lines are being built to transport human cargo, goods and produce that has been harvested.

This has paved the way and inspired and motivated the Madani government of Malaysia to aspire to connect Malaysians, foreign tourists and visitors, through a complex and integrated network of rail lines across the country.

In the Klang Valley, the nucleus of the nation, the foundation has been laid already by Light Rail Transit lines, the Mass Rapid Transit, the Monorail and the KTM Komuter plying routes all over the hustle and bustle of the region.

Rail travel makes perfect sense. It is affordable, it is safe, reliable and convenient. It does what cars and vehicles can’t do, ploughing through traffic-congested roads, byways and highways bringing a commuter safe to their destination.

This is why it is envisaged that rail would be the travel of the future as rail networks sprout in Penang, Johor, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching providing an alternative mode of transport that is clean and efficient and user-friendly for all including disabled persons.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher