Launching of the KLIA2 Terminal

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launced the world's first mega terminal for low-cost carriers’s ground-breaking ceremony in Sepang yesterday. The new terminal will be known as KLIA2. The new low-cost terminal will meet the expected high growth rate of low-cost travel needs for the next 10 to 15 years. Currently, the low-cost carriers are using the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) also in Sepang. However, due to increase in demand, the LCCt terminal is getting more congested with passengers and also carriers. The new low-cost carrier terminal is expected to be able to handle 30 million passengers annually. The KLIA2 terminal is llocated only 2 km from the current Main Terminal building.

Both terminals, i.e. KLIA and KLIA2, will be interconnected to cater for easy inter-terminal transfer and better connectivity between the two. According to the news report, KLIA2 will have built-in walkways, bigger space per passenger and total separation between arrival and departing passengers for improved security. Express Rail Link (ERL) service is expected to be extended to the KLIA2 terminal. Read HERE for related story.

Are you Confused Yet?

Stop if you want to turn left or if you want to go through. Give way if you want to turn right. Or vice versa depending on how confuse you are on the road. Hope the consultant, the contractor and the respective agency will be more sensitive to the placement of the road signages so that majority of drivers who are already confused will not get more confused while on the road. The respective guideline regarding the placement of road signages is already in place in order to ensure the safe usage of the road by all type of road users. It is a matter of following and enforcing the use of the guideline.

Viva G16 Reunion

After 25 years, our group managed to organize our first reunion dinner in Shah Alam last Saturday. There were about 20 of us in the group studying intensive English for about six months. After that, several of the group members went straight to the States to further their studies whereas most of us stay in the country for another two more years. Then, all of us went to search for our own destiny and busy doing our own businesses without knowing the whereabouts of the other group members except only a few.

However, exactly, a month ago, one of the group members initiated our own private group in Facebook. The name of the group is Viva G16 since we were lucky enough to be grouped together in Group 16. Through Facebook, we managed to gather almost all of our group mates.

After less than a month of planning, the first reunion dinner was held in Shah Alam on the 21st August 2010. Thank you very much to everybody who can make it for the reunion dinner and it was a great time for all of us to get to know each other better. For those who couldn't make it this time, hopefully we will be able to see you at some other time. It was a very joyful and fun reunion since we were able to gather almost everybody for the first time since 25 years ago and there were a lot of things to catch up among us. It was such a happening and memorable reunion since that was the first time after 25 years that we were able to see each other face to face instead of only through the face of Facebook. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to those who had made the Viva G16 Reunion a reality.

KLIA Aerotrain Service

KLIA Aerotrain

As been reported before, the aerotrain service at KLIA will be closed from Nov 1 this year to March 15 next year to allow for complete maintenance and modification works on the two trains currently operating the service. The two trains have been running non-stop shuttling passengers between the two terminals building at KLIA airport.

A new Depot and a new track under construction.

 

Recently there is a major construction work being carried out near the aerotrain track. Based on this report, the construction is to build a new depot and a new track for scheduled maintenance works of the trains. Additonal train will be parked at the Depot to be used as a replacement during repairs or maintenance of the other two trains.  I think this is the right move carried out by the MAB (Malaysian Airpirt Berhad) to put in place the scheduled and routine maintenance of the aerotrains in order to provide efficient and reliable service to passengers. Without such a move, the train will eventually break down and causes severe disruptions to passenger movements.

Airport Bus

MAB has ensured that there will be plenty of bus services available to transfer passengers within the construction and maintenance period of the two aerotrains. MAB also has carried out dry run of the bus services in order to provide efficient services to passengers. The headway between the buses are ensured to be within the reasonable time to ensure no congestion (due increase in number of passengers using the buses) during peak period. 

Stressful Cities

Picture: Las Vegas Skyline, by Christopher Chan

Forbes.com had compiled ten most stressful cities in the United States for the year 2010. Dwellers in those cities often complain of irregular work hours that keep them away from their families, and tensions that result from family health crises.

Forbes found Las Vegas to be the most stressful city followed by Los Angeles and Houston. To identify the most stressful cities, researchers measured several key parameters that can either cause or be caused by stress such as high unemployment, long commute times, long work hours, limited access to health care, poor physical health and a lack of exercise.

High unemployment rate obviously causes any cities to be so stressful due to several fringe benefits associated with it such as increase in crime rate etc.

Long commute times also causes stressful life since everybody has to go to work very early in the morning and coming back from work late in the evening to avoid traffic jam. For those who are in the traffic jam have to spend hundred of hours lost in opportunity cost.

Long work hours is due to the twenty four hours day related to major metropolitan cities where employees are expected to work almost 24 hours a day to meet high demand.

Due to long working hours and long commute times, most metropolis dwellers spend less time on exercise activities. It has been proven that physical exercise can reduce stress.

For more information about America's most stressful cities for the year 2010, read HERE.