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t has been reported that the Jakarta governor has sent officials to seek advice from Singapore's LTA/SMRT on how to design a mass rapid transit (MRT) system.

To aim for a world-class rail MRT system, Jakarta should ask Singapore for guidance on the following:

All trains should be equipped with onboard electronic sensors to monitor and identify which parts of the tracks have intermittent or loose electricity supply connections.

Using a 'management by exception' method is important to support a planned maintenance system for fast response to replace faulty parts.

All staircases should have two escalators. If there is no immediate need to install the escalators because of low ridership at the start, provide preconstructed void spaces under the steps of all staircases for the installation of the two escalators later on when passenger traffic has increased.

The void spaces under the staircases' steps should be filled with loose sand and gravel, which can be easily removed to install the escalators later without the need to break up the solid staircase.

Provide for preconstructed openings at each floor level to install elevators later on when the need arises.

All passageways should be flat without steps. Stairs restrict fast movement in a mass transit system and it is difficult for those who have any impairment to their legs. Instead of steps, graduated ramps should be provided. If there is no headroom, dig three feet deeper to construct the graduated ramps. The ramps should be in an elongated U shape with the deepest section being where there is a lack of headroom.

All overhead pedestrian bridges to train stations should have preconstructed openings for the installation of elevators later on.

There should be no steps before an escalator or elevator landing as it is not user-friendly in a mass transit system and will restrict fast movement.

All the rail lines should allow the reversing of trains to meet the demand of high ridership on some sections of the rail line during peak hours.

The reversing of trains is a must in a mass rapid train system. Sending half-empty trains to the terminal is a waste of hardware resources.

If the hardware is not used to its optimum in order to attain operational efficiency, it will be almost impossible to achieve efficiency later.

Provide for sliding doors in all stations.

Build all over- and underground stations in such a way as to allow for all platforms to be extended later when there is a need to add more train carriages.

No train carriages should have vertical bars at their entrances. Vertical bars hinder commuters from entering the carriages as many commuters like to crowd around the bars.

Provide for all train interchange stations to be converted to have air-conditioning facilities later when the ridership increases.

Tan Kok Tim
Singapore