Will MRT Malaysia really start on time? Sure?

My friends asked me would MRT be on time since two unfortunate incidents happened recently. I told her that I believe it would. She said but won’t the construction be delayed? While I could not remember where I read before but I did read before that the MRT project was slightly ahead of schedule, before the two recent incidents. Anyway, based on a local media report, the first phase of the MRT, from Sungai Buloh to Semantan would be open by December 2016. As for the whole project, it would be delivered on time by July 2017. This was announced by the Minister in Prime Minister’s department, Datuk Seri Idris Jala.
Actually, for a huge project, the safety aspect is always a challenge. Perhaps during the beginning, every subcontractor would abide by the safety rules and regulations but without continuous reminder and checks, some may start to slack and you will see incidents happen. If you think this is just in Malaysia, think again. Within just this year, the Singapore’s Manpower Department took action against 174 companies for safety related issues. These include construction sites and four were issued Stop Work Orders. Most recent event included an empty cable car under testing falling down at the construction site. Fortunately no one was injured. Of course, coming back to Malaysia, I seriously do hope that all these are reported more transparently in Malaysia too.
GAMUDA Bhd’s group managing director Datuk Lin Yun Ling also said that 60 experienced safety managers will be appointed to ramp up safety monitoring of ongoing construction of the MRT project. These managers would be stationed on site and will not be just for safety aspects but also the quality of the work done. Coming back to my friend, she still insist that the MRT project will never start on time. I told her, I am still confident that it will be on time. Truth is, implementation works in Malaysia has always been criticised but when the right company with the right people really put their effort and mind into it, most of the time it will be completed. Time would tell whether my friend is right. In the mean time, don’t stop viewing new project launches nearby MRT even if you may not have funds to buy at this moment. You learn more when you visit instead of sitting at home playing video games.
written on 31 Aug 2014
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