UKM geologist Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin warned that uneven slopes around the proposed sites for eleventh and twelfth stations on the proposed Kelana Jaya line LRT extension pose a safety hazard to users of the track.
The stations will be built on a hilly land around SK Seksyen 27 (2) and Taman Subang Alam.
Tajul said the sags and crests of the land constitute a differential settlement and hence it will be hard to estimate the length of foundational pillars needed for the track.
Tajol (second from left)
“It’s not only about inserting pillars into the ground. The subsurfaces of some crests might be too soft to sustain the weight of a running LRT car. The pillars will subside.
“It will pose a great danger because the LRT carriage is sensitive to slight changes in the track,” he told residents of Taman Subang Alam at a protest against the two proposed stations recently.
Tajol illustrates LRT pillars which are to be built on hilly slope
Tajul, who was invited to conduct a geological research on the residents’ behalf, said the location of the alignment also runs near a former quarry site, which is now filled with water.
“The quarry wall is sharp and the residents’ houses are built right next to it. The quarry cannot even sustain the houses, not to mention LRT stations,” he said.
Tajul’s report also mentions the existence on the site of the proposed stations of a type of soil which cracks, and hillslopes that might not be sustainable in the a long-run.
He agreed that the two stations should be realigned as “ample land is available in the surrounding areas”.
Realignment will increase ridership, says ADUN
Residents of Section 27, Alam Megah and Putra Heights in Shah Alam have been up in arms against the proposed stations which they claim are not viable and also too near to their houses.
Following that, Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), proposed an alternative route which runs along Persiaran Klang, about 2km away from the original sites. This proposal is yet to be taken up by Prasarana.
Sri Muda assemblyman, Suhaimi Shafiei, who attended the residents’ protest, said ridership of the two stations will increase by three-fold if it is realigned according to MBSA’s proposed route.
“It will be closer to Hicom industrial areas where many workers rely on public transportation,” he said.
He said the residents are placing their last ounce of hope on LRT extension constructor, Prasarana Berhad, to respond to the geological report.
“We have tried all means (to object the route) in the past two years, I hope Prasarana and MB Khalid (Selangor Chief Minister, Khalid Ibrahim) can reconsider the alternative route,” he said.
The alternative route was vetoed in a State Economic Council (MTES) meeting last month, with 50 percent of the council members agreeing to the original route, and 46 percent of them against.
Hence, Prasarana claims Khalid has given it a green light to maintain the original route.
CJMY
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