Ramasamy on KLIA aerotrain, Transkrian Estate families & floods in the Punjab

Murray Hunter


Ramasamy on KLIA aerotrain, Transkrian Estate families & floods in the Punjab

P Ramasamy
Sep 06, 2025





The endless woes of KLIA’s Aerotrain: Time for a rethink

There seems to be no end to the disruption of the Aerotrain services that provide passenger links between the main terminal at KLIA and the satellite terminal.

The Aerotrain, established in 1998, had functioned without major incidents until 2023. However, following a breakdown in March 2023, the service was suspended for two and a half years for a major overhaul costing RM456 million. When it was relaunched on July 1, 2025, the impression was given that its problems were finally behind us.

Unfortunately, just a day after its relaunch, the Aerotrain experienced another setback that caused a temporary disruption. On July 4, 2025, services were once again halted due to water seepage in the tunnel. Barely a month later, on August 4, 2025, a technical issue caused a brief pause. Most recently, on September 3, 2025, a power trip brought one of the trains to a halt.

Despite the massive financial expenditure, the Aerotrain continues to be plagued by disruptions—whether technical, human-made, or otherwise. The explanations offered by Transport Minister Anthony Loke and the management team have done little to inspire confidence, as problems persist without resolution.

In 2001, KLIA was ranked the second-best airport in the world. By 2013, it had slipped to 14th place, and if another ranking were done today, KLIA might not even make the list. The Aerotrain debacle is one of the many reasons why.

Loke seems unable to see through the complex challenges of the Aerotrain service and is therefore not in a position to properly advise the government on its future feasibility. If major international airports around the world can operate efficiently without such a system, one wonders why Malaysia adopted it in the first place. Instead of providing seamless connectivity, the Aerotrain has become a liability.

Isn’t it time for the government to reconsider whether maintaining the Aerotrain is worth defending at the expense of public funds? Even the MCA Youth Wing has called for Loke’s resignation, citing his failure to resolve these long-standing issues. There may indeed be merit in this call. Perhaps the government should appoint someone capable of honestly advising whether the Aerotrain should be replaced altogether.

The public deserves a system that provides reliable connectivity without burdening taxpayers. If the Aerotrain is obsolete, then it should be scrapped. Why prolong the excuses? Malaysians are tired of officials justifying constant breakdowns, real or imagined.

The plight of Transkrian Estate families: A call for state response

It has come to my knowledge that about 80 families of former workers of Transkrian Estate, Nibong Tebal, Penang, have been issued with notices to vacate their premises by the owner of the estate.

So far there is no news as to how the Penang state government is going to resolve the matter.

If the workers and families are evicted without proper housing, it would be a major blow to the state government.

Workers were brought in to work in the estate around 1870. The first temple was established around 1873. Transkrian Estate is located near the state borders of Penang, Kedah and Perak.

USM’s engineering campus is located near the estate so are supermarkets and others.

While development has come to the area, it is unfortunate that former estate workers and their families are locked in poverty without proper housing.

When I was in the Penang state government, funds were given to the physical improvement of the temple and the Tamil School.

With the notice issued by the owner, the workers and their families have approached the Penang state government.

To date there has been no response from the state government.

Ideally, as practised before, as in the cases of Byram Estate, Caledonia Estate and Ladang Sungei Kecil is for the state to acquire the land in which estate quarters are located before they can obtain free housing considering the years of toil of the workers, their parents and grandparents.

I sincerely hope that the state government would act on the matter and not allow it to fester.

Urimai will be closely watching the developments and it would oppose any move to forcibly evict the workers and their families.

Floods ravage Punjabs in India and Pakistan: Silence from Malaysian leaders

Massive floods have hit Punjab on both sides of the political divide between India and Pakistan.

On the Indian side, more than 30 people have died due to rising waters, with over 148,000 hectares of agricultural land in affected.

In Punjab, India, where a quarter of its 30 million population depends on agriculture, more than 300,000 residents have been displaced from their homes.

According to state authorities, the present flood is comparable to the devastating one in 1998.

Punjab, often described as the food basket of India, now faces severe damage to its food production as swollen rivers overflow following torrential downpours.

Across the border, Pakistan’s Punjab has been equally devastated by the floods, with the swelling of rivers causing widespread destruction.

While both Punjabs remain divided politically and religiously, natural disasters such as these floods do not discriminate in the fury they unleash.

To date, the Malaysian government has yet to convey its sympathies or concerns to the people of Punjab on both sides of the border.

Even Digital Minister Gobind Singh, a Punjabi Sikh in the government, has not expressed condolences or solidarity with those affected.

Perhaps Punjab is politically less significant to the Malaysian government compared to other parts of the world.