Neighbours

Security Is A Serious Matter At KTMB

GEMAS, June 18 (Bernama) -- We have never heard of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd's (KTMB) coaches being involved in serious accidents in which many lives were lost.

Of course there are those who throw caution to the wind by crossing railway tracks illegally, only to end up dead after being hit by oncoming trains.

Train mishaps in the country are mostly due to derailments, but they seldom cause deaths or serious injuries.

In contrast, recent train accidents in countries like Thailand and Egypt reportedly killed and injured hundreds of people.

In Thailand, three railway workers were killed and more than 100 passengers injured when two trains collided at a seaside town near Prachuap Khirikhan in January.

In Egypt, 80 people were killed and 160 others injured when two trains crashed in north Cairo in August last year.

But KTMB is not resting on its laurels.

To ensure that its staff are always on their toes, KTMB launched an Emergency Reaction Plan (ERP) here recently in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007.

-- BERNAMA