O vlog sobre nossa primeira viagem pra Sydney, Austrália.

Incluindo: o Opera House (é claro!), nosso passeio no Queen Victoria Building, o encontro com a amiga brasileira-”sydniana”, a árvore de Natal coberta de cristais Swarovski, o banheiro do QVB, táxi aquático, um aborígene pedindo minha mãe em casamento, minha mãe reclamando das minhas filmagens, nossa visita à Hillsong church, gravação da Hillsong, o aquário de Sydney e um passeio de monorail.

Estrelando: Carol (minha mãe), Cassius (meu pai), Gab (meu irmão), Thais e com a participação especial dos aborígenes, da Dory e do Bruce.

Música: Arise, Flyleaf.

Brenda Nepomuceno

You may remember that back in September, TRANSIT commented on the new RapidPass that RapidKL was introducing and made a few recommendations.

We recommended that there be:

• increased Tempatan bus service (otherwise why have the tempatan pass)
• integration of the monorail by allowing the holders of the LRT & integrated pass to board the KL Monorail
• extension of the student concession to post-secondary school students (just as RapidPenang does with their RapidYouth card).

A few days ago, TRANSIT learned that Prasarana / RapidKL are going to integrate the KL Monorail service into the integrated pass. RapidKL sent us the press release today and we promised to highlight it, so here it is:

Unlimited travel on RapidKL bus and LRT, as well as KL Monorail for only RM150 a month 

Petaling Jaya, 23 November 2009:- Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL), the largest public transport operator in the Klang Valley, is pleased to announce that starting December 2009, the rapidpass Integrated RM150 monthly travel card has been extended to cover the KL Monorail service.

The rapidpass Integrated offers unlimited rides for RapidKL buses, LRTs and now the KL Monorail service, for an entire month. 

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) Group Managing Director, Dato’ Idrose Mohamed, said with the inclusion of the KL Monorail service, the rapidpass Integrated now allows its users to travel seamlessly on Prasarana-operated public transport services in Klang Valley.

“Commuters can now have unlimited monthly travel on RapidKL buses, RapidKL LRT trains and KL Monorail, by purchasing our rapidpass Integrated at only RM150.

TRANSIT Says:

Now, we would like to say to RapidKL that we and many other monorail users will appreciate the extension of the integrated pass to cover the KL Monorail (now, presumably the RapidKL Monorail)

Of course, we did say we would like to see the KL Monorail integrated into the LRT pass and the Integrated Pass (because after all, the monorail is officially LRT Sistem 3)….so we will continue to push for that.

However, in the meantime, we hope that purchasers of the integrated pass will be able to take advantage of the KL Monorail. We also hope Prasarana will get themselves together and start extending the KL Monorail instead of focusing only on LRT extensions.

Read the article below for a media update on the new integrated pass:

Unlimited travel on RapidKL bus, LRT and KL Monorail for RM150 a month (The Star)

We at TRANSIT are big on courtesy. It helps make the public transport experience more friendly and enjoyable.

While the operators have made some effort towards encouraging courtesy, we feel that there is a lot more that can be done.

Yes, giving up seats is nice. But there are so many other negative behaviours that we need to deal with.

The Tokyo Metro has come up with a very creative monthly poster campaign to encourage courteous behaviour on the trains. We particularly like the poster below as we see this often in the Klang Valley.

What are your pet peeves on public transport?

Why do the Germans have to be such brilliant engineers? They refuse to let me see the rest of Europe!

A monorail train hangs suspended from a suspension bridge over a street in Wuppertal, Germany.

Damn those Germans! Every time I think I’m done with Germany, they come up with something to pull me back.

I can’t help it. It’s the geek in me.

First, it was the Magdeburg water bridge. Now, I have to work in the northern Rhine city called Wuppertal.

At this rate, I’ll never see the rest of Europe!

Never heard of Wuppertal? Neither had I until very recently. Population about 350,000 — slightly larger than New Orleans, slightly smaller than the city of Oakland, built on either side of a river. Apparently, it’s very “green,” with two-thirds of it being woods, gardens, parks, fields and so on.

It’s also got some history to it, being the birthplace of Friedrich Engels, who co-wrote The Communist Manifesto along with Karl Marx.

And it’s the birthplace of Friedrich Bayer. Yes, that Bayer, the aspirin people. Which makes Wuppertal, among other things, the birthplace of heroin.

But neither those historical tidbits nor all that greenery is what’s pulling me to this place. It’s the Schwebebahn — their monorail.

Okay, maybe you rode monorails as a kid at Disneyland or Disneyworld, but this is no amusement ride. This is how Wuppertal gets around, as this YouTube video shows.

Most monorail trains ride on top of their single rail. In Wuppertal, they hang from theirs.

Passengers ride in cars suspended in space, 24 feet over the streets and 40 feet over the river, at speeds around 40 miles per hour. That “hang” allows them to tilt on curves, so the trains never have to slow down for them.

This would be some pretty slick technology even today. The Germans came up with it in 1901, two years before the Wright Brothers got off the ground. A century and change later, the system is still moving people — 75,000 a day, 25 million a year.

It even managed to survive the World War 2 bombing that wasted nearly half the town.

Now you know I have to ride this thing!

FOOTNOTE
You may wonder, “Why couldn’t Los Angeles come up with something like this?”

Back in 1963, the Swedish firm Alweg, which built the monorail in Seattle, offered Los Angeles a 40-mile monorail line. They’d keep the fares until the construction was paid for, then hand it to the city. Cost to the taxpayers: zero.

The City Council’s response: We like our gridlock. We think smog is sexy. Go away.

If you drive around L.A. today, no need to tell you the rest of the story. You’re living it.

Salam 1Malaysia,

Baik! Kali ni saya nak sambung balik cerita saya di KL Sentral atau saya saja letak Pusat Kuala Lumpur. Entri kali ni pasal ragam manusia. Macam yang saya cakap dalam entri lepas yang macam-macam ragam manusia kita boleh lihat di KL Sentral. Yup! Macam-macam. Lucu, sedih, menyakitkan mata, tersentuh, gembira dll. Semua punya persepsi sendiri, jadi saya tak mahulah mengulas dengan lebih panjang pasal gambar yang akan saya letak.

Mungkin melepaskan penat sementara menanti bas/keretapi

Pemandangan sebegini bukan aneh atau memalukan, bahkan saya panggil ‘mengumpul tenaga sebelum menyambung perjalanan’. Sekiranya kita terawal tiba di KL Sentral ataupun, disebabkan keadaan yang tidak dirancang. Kemudian, keadaan badan sangat penat. Maka salah satu jalan keluar, adalah tidur seketika. Haha! Apa boleh buat kan.

Eh! Tengah buat apa tu?

Haha! Gambar yang ini, saya tiada komen. Tengah tengok kalau-kalau ada benjol kot.

Sedang berbual sementara menanti bas

Pusing-pusing sekitar KL Sentral ni, lupa pula masih belum makan. Hmm. Apa kata cuba sesuatu yang baru. Bila toleh kiri kanan, ternampak satu kedai makan atau ‘Warong Kita’.

Warong Kita

Oklah! Sampai sini dulu. Nanti saya cerita apa yang saya makan di Warong Kita, entri seterusnya…

TRANSIT took note of this very interesting article about schoolkids from Johor. Not only do we at TRANSIT share the enthusiasm of the young for public transport (and hope to encourage it), we hope to find ways to harness this enthusiasm.

SPECIAL NOTE: For this reason, we are working on running a tour of the Express Rail Link depot at Salak Tinggi, which will be scheduled for December 9. 

Thrilling monorail ride for schoolkids

Friday, November 13th, 2009

GREAT FUN: (From left) Mohd Nur Syahir, Mohd Nur Akhbar and Mohd Zarif enjoyed the free train ride

A GROUP of primary six school  children from Johor and their teachers were thrilled to get a taste of what we urbanites take for granted – a monorail ride through the city.

The 74 children from the Sekolah Kebangsaan Bakri Batu 5 in Muar had been looking forward to the experience for months, said a teacher, Mohd Ibrahim Daud, who led a group of nine teaching staff accompanying the children.

Arriving at 4pm at Wisma Monorail, the group was first given a briefing of the technology and innovation employed by KL Monorail for its trains.

They were also given the rare opportunity of stepping into KL Monorail’s Control Centre. They were later taken on a chartered train ride to all the monorail stations receiving a history of the city throughout the ride.

Mohd Ibrahim said the school started planning for their year-end trip some months back. “When we asked the students what activities they had in mind for knowledge, they voted for the monorail ride. “Their reason was that they wanted to know what technology is used to operate the monorail.”

The children’s one-day visit to Kuala Lumpur began with an excursion to the National Bird Park, followed by a visit to the High 5 factory, then the monorail ride. After the monorail experience, they set off for an evening of
fun at Cosmo’s World Theme Park, Berjaya Times Square.

For most of the children, it was their first visit to Kuala Lumpur, and their first train ride. “I learned a lot today about how the systems work, and of course, the train ride was a lot of fun,” said Mohd Zarif Samsudin, 12, one of the students.

Another student, Nadia Mahsuri, also 12, said the trip had been educational for her. “Today’s ride was my first train ride. I had been looking forward to it for months,” she said.

The guests were treated to  drinks and milk sponsored by Dutch Lady Malaysia Bhd. The exercise is part of a sponsorship collaboration with KL Monorail in line with the company’s “We Care”  campaign.

KL Monorail marketing and business development manager, Norazah Abd Rashid, said the visit was a rare opportunity for children to learn about the technology being used in their everyday lives.

“This is a chance for young children to get to know how things are done at the monorail. They get to know how the complex system works and to ask personnel about their jobs, particularly about the unique post of train captain.”

TRANSIT Says:

It seems like a great adventure for the young students. Let’s hope that they can come back to an even better public transport system in a few short years.

Hi kids,

Here’s the latest news from the home of the world’s largest (and longest) food & wine festival.  Here we go; please stand clear of the doors.   Por favor matengase alejado de las puertas.

Disney CFO and Disney Parks Chief to play Job Swap

It’s been announced that Tom Staggs, Disney CFO is trading places with Jay Rasulo, the head of Disney Parks

It’s a safe assumption that the motive for the move is to position Staggs for his rumored future job as president of the Walt Disney Company.  As head of Disney Parks and Resorts, Staggs will gain experience in operations by overseeing Disney’s worldwide vacation empire.

Jay Rasulo, in turn, will become Disney’s senior executive vice president and chief financial officer. He will now take responsibility for the company’s worldwide finance organization, corporate strategy and development, brand management and investor relations.

“Jay and Tom are both dynamic and versatile executives, who have done a great job over the last several years and have helped me to shape Disney’s strategic direction,” said Robert Iger, Disney President and CEO, in a statement.

The news comes just a few days after it was announced that Disney executive Mark Zoradi, a 29 year veteran of the company, would resign his post as president of Disney’s motion picture group, effective immediately.  Mr. Zoradi’s reasons are still unknown, but many speculate on growing dissention in the ranks since chairman Dick Cook’s sudden resignation two months ago.

Boss Staggs (Photo courtesy of the Walt Disney Co.)

Chinese Government Gives OK for Shanghai Disneyland

China’s National Development and Reform Commission will allow the country’s  biggest city and Disney to work on final details for a long-awaited amusement park, to be located in the city’s eastern Pudong district.

As a poster on a popular Disney forum commented, let’s hope they don’t change Donald Duck’s name to Peking Duck.

“China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for The Walt Disney Company in mainland China,” said Bob Iger in a statement.  Come to think of it, Bob Iger seems to only talk in statements.

The first phase of the massive project would include a  ”Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region.” Hotels and a possible shopping district are expected to follow.

Disney has gradually crept its way into mainland China since opening the still-struggling Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005.  Disney now holds offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou (but who doesn’t have an office in Guangzhou nowadays?).

Last spring, Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng said that China and Disney were getting down to serious negotiations.

He was quoted in the Oriental Morning Post as saying Shanghai and Disney were “lovers, still in love but having a hard time deciding when to get married.”  Incidentally, Steamboat Stevie was quoted as saying he was “like China.”

Disney Unveils New Cruise Ship (It was a really big veil)

Disney Cruise Line has announced construction on their new ship has been underway since March 2009.  The maiden voyage for the Disney Dream has been scheduled for January 26, 2011.  The newest addition to the Disney fleet will be a whopping 40% bigger than the current two ships.

Arguably the most anticipated feature will be the world’s first water-coaster at sea, the Aqua Duck.   Featuring 250 yards of transparent tubing, the Duck will send you splashing, twisting and turning over the top decks and even out over open ocean.

The “Aqua Duck” water coaster concept art

Each inside stateroom will boast a “virtual porthole,” showing waves roll by in HD, occasionally carrying a Disney character or two. “Enchanted Art” throughout the ship will “come alive” when guests stop to look at the frames, a la Harry Potter.

Concept art for the Dream’s atrium

(Pictures courtesy of Walt Disney Imagineering)

Walt Disney World Will Have New Monorail

Disney has announced that it has constructed a new monorail train that will replace the two that were damaged in a fatal collision this past summer. The new train, which will feature a teal stripe,  has been built from undamaged portions of the trains involved in the accident.

Disney will retire the colors pink and purple from the line out of respect for the cast members involved in the collision.

The new train will be tested, up and running sometime this year. Disney is planning to add a 12th train in 2010.

WDW Gets Ready to Welcome the New Space Mountain

Walt Disney Imagineering has released new pictures and comments on the latest Space Mountain refurb, the biggest in the ride’s history.  The changes feature an entirely new experience in the queue area, something Disney has been re-tooling a lot of lately.

The ride track itself has reportedly been replaced, but follows the same design.  The most notable changes in the actual ride are most likely cosmetic; new cars, and greatly improved sound and lighting effects.

Disney’s blog reported the following:

“Passengers will be able to immerse themselves in unique game play as they prepare for blast off, becoming part of the space station adventure. During a recent walkthrough, we deflected asteroids to keep runways clear as part of the story.”

“The interactive experiences are based on duties you’d find on board a long-traveling space craft, according to Walt Disney Imagineering Senior Show Designer Alex Wright. Each game lasts about 90 seconds with a 90-second interval and the games can accommodate 86 players at one time.”

“As you move along on your journey, there are “insider” touches typical in projects created by Imagineers. For example, if you’re up on your Disney trivia, you’ll recognize a sign bearing the logo “H-NCH 1975″ as a tribute to late Imagineer and Disney legend John Hench. There are also other “Disneyphile” references hidden throughout the attraction.”

“Space Mountain celebrates the Golden Age of Rocket Travel – inspired by the jet age of the early 1960s. The attraction highlights excitement around the endless possibilities regarding space travel. It did back when it opened in 1975 and I think you’ll agree it still does.”

Photos and article courtesy of the Walt Disney Co.

In closing, I thought I’d leave you with a link to a video that I’ve been a little obsessed with as of late.  It’s called “A Model Day at Disney Parks,” and it was first released on the Disney Parks blog, in celebration of the Magic Kingdom’s birthday on October 1st.

At first glance, it looks like someone went through a lot of trouble making a miniature replica of the Magic Kingdom.  The trick, however is something called tilt-shift photography, a field I haven’t even heard of until this video. 

Until next time, see ya real soon!

From the City of Anaheim – A public scoping meeting is being held for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study.  Interested individuals, organizations and agencies are invited to provide input on the project’s Purpose and Need, alternatives under consideration and any impact issues of concern.

Thursday, November 12, 2009
4:00-7:00 p.m.
Anaheim Downtown Community Center
250 E. Center Street
(Corner of Philadelphia and Center Street)
Anaheim, CA 92805

The meeting site is accessible by OCTA Routes 42 and 47.

Visit anytime between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.

Can’t Attend?  Your input still counts! Written comments may be submitted by December 10, 2009 to:

Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study
c/o Jamie Lai, Transit Manager
City of Anaheim
Public Works Department
200 S. Anaheim Blvd., Ste. 276
Anaheim, CA 92805

For more information, please visit: http://www.anaheimfixedguideway.com/

This week I went with my visiting father and my youngest daughter to Wuppertal and took a ride on the Schwebebahn.

My grandfather lived in Wuppertal around 1911 – and he had told my father about the marvellous “hanging railway” which runs along the route of the Wupper river, from one end of Wuppertal to the other. So here we were, nearly a century later – three more generations of the family – taking a ride on our ancestor’s route to work.

The first thing you see as you approach the tracks is an amazing iron structure spanning the river and stretching off into the distance in each direction.

The train carriages are suspended from the overhead rail… quite a long way up over the river…

When we got on the train it was packed… but I managed to position myself behind the driver’s cab where you get the best view over the river…

It’s a fabulous way to see Wuppertal – the views across all parts of the city are spectacular. Particularly as you are suspended so high up.

Every now and then you meet another Schwebebahn coming the other way.

We went all the way from the city centre up to Oberbarmen and back – about half an hour’s round trip.

I’d like to give a vote of thanks to this part of the train…

… this was the bit that kept us attached to the overhead rail.

In line with the controversy about the recent Auditor General’s 2008 Report, TRANSIT provides you with these statements:

1. Klang MP Charles Santiago comments on the cost overrun in the Rawang-Ipoh Double Tracking and Electrification Project

Press Statement by Member of Parliament Klang Charles Santiago in Parliament on 2^nd Nov 2009

Whatever happened to accountability? We thought the Port Klang Free Trade Zone (PKFZ) scandal was the last of the financial fraud running into billions of ringgit. Now, the Auditor General’s report has indicated that there was a major over run to the tune of more than RM 1.3 billion in the 179 km rail double tracking project between Rawang – Ipoh.

That is not the end of the story. Instead it’s a tale of grand sweep as it involves the Chief Judge of the country, Zaki Tun Azmi. He is the Chairman and biggest shareholder in Emrail Sdn Bhd, one of the contractors involved in the project. Zaki was appointed to the top judicial position on 21st October, 2008.

Zaki, also well known as an UMNO lawyer, was still speaking on behalf of Emrail on 21st April 2007. Subsequently he was appointed as the Federal Court judge on 5th Sept 2007 and made the Chief Judge on 21st Oct 2008.

He was quoted by Bernama saying, “We have completed the Rawang-Ipoh project to the satisfaction of the government. Bearing in mind that Emrail is the only Bumiputera-owned tracking company in Malaysia, we hope the government will consider us for tracking jobs for the Ipoh-Padang Besar as well as Seremban-Gemas projects,”.

According to the Auditor General’s report for 2009, Emrail Sdn Bhd was the most inefficient of the four subcontractors as it completed only 56.9 percent of the project given the deadline of 10^th Dec 2003.

The government might now have to absorb part of the RM 1.14 billion loss brought about by delays in implementation, not keeping to the standards imposed in the infrastructural development leading to the infrastructure not being fully optimised and the procurement of extra equipment and coaches.

We have the assurance from Chairman of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Azmi Khalid, that the body would investigate the Transport Minister and contractors involved in this financial mess.

Before the PAC starts its investigations, the public need to be informed of the people who are involved in this project. Allocations made to the contractors, names of politicians involved, terms in which contracts were awarded and concrete reasons for the delay must be made public.

The Transport Ministry and government are in a limbo as the project has been warped with irregularities since its inception. The dual tracking system, which was supposed to be completed in 2002, was pushed back till 2007.

Without a doubt we could conclude that the double tracking project joins the ranks of PKFZ as another mega financial scandal prompted by greed, cronyism, sophisticated potpourri of business and politics and devastating mismanagement.

Both mega projects have already cost the nation approximately RM14 billion or every Malaysian, RM 520. This does not include losses due to direct negotiations of contracts estimated at RM 28 billion as revealed by a Star newspaper probe.

Stern action and corresponding punishment is desperately needed to regain the confidence of the public and investors.

Hoping that problems would disappear if they are ignored long enough would simply not work, anymore.

Therefore, I urge the PAC in its meeting next week to support Auditor General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang suggestion that the Transport Ministry fine DRB-Hicom Bhd RM80.88 million (RM164,727 a day) for its failure to complete the Rawang-Ipoh electrified double tracking project on time

Furthermore, I urge the PAC Chairman to summon Zaki, former Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy, as well as DRB-Hicom and its subcontractors to give explanations to the Parliament. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should focus its effort in investigating the scandalous federal leakage that rather than scheme with UMNO politicians to overthrow the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government.

Charles Santiago
Member of Parliament, Klang
016 626 7797

2. Moaz Yusuf Ahmad from TRANSIT comments on Prasarana’s past procurement of buses and upcoming 400 buses.

Prasarana’s bus tender process needs to be more open

The Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit (Transit) notes that public transport holding company Prasarana (Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad) has placed a tender announcement for the purchase of 400 chassis for new CKD (completely knocked-down) buses to be operated on by their subsidiary RapidKL Sdn Bhd.

The tender announcement read as follows:

‘Manufacture, supply, delivery, testing, commissioning, warranty, repair and maintenance of four hundred (400) units of twelve (12) metre completely knocked-down (CKD) diesel city buses for RapidKL’

At present, we do not know if the tender for 400 CKD buses (specifically for their chassis) is for an expansion of services or a replacement for some of the buses that were purchased for RapidKL between 2005-2009.

In any case, the timing of the tender is interesting, given the release of the Auditor-General’s 2008 Report which found problems with the purchase of RapidKL buses in 2007-2008 that were of low quality.

We are also concerned because these low-quality buses were purchased to replace buses (operated by IntraKota) that were scrapped (left to rot?) by Prasarana in 2005-2006.

In addition, it appears that Scomi Coach Sdn Bhd quietly received a contract to refurbish some of the China-made buses. This issue was profiled by the local media, bloggers and even by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

According to a statement on Prasarana’s website, these former IntraKota buses were incapable of being salvaged when they were turned over to Prasarana.

We at Transit expect that buses should be able to last at least 10-12 years without requiring significant maintenance or overhaul. The fact that Prasarana has sent buses less than five years old to the scrap heap already, and may do so again in the near future, is of great concern to us.

We also find it especially interesting that, according to an industry source, the tender was actually called earlier this year (we do not know which company was successful) and the tender announcement last week is actually a ’surprise’ re-tender!

In light of the Auditor-General’s 2008 Report, the concerns about the procurement of buses and bus depots, issues with the interior design of the RapidKL buses, and the announcement of the 2010 budget, the Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit (Transit) calls on Prasarana to open up the tender process for greater scrutiny from the public, the Auditor-General’s Office and interested ‘wakil rakyat’.

We also believe that it is vital to have feedback from public transport users on the design and interior features of buses. The end user must be consulted about seat design, handholds, accessibility features (including audio and visual announcements) and other features of the buses.

John Frost from The Disney Blog posted a YouTube video of Monorail Teal today.  The new line, made from undamaged parts of Monorails Pink and Purple, was sitting at the maintenance bay.  I must say, the new stripe looks sharp.  This will be the resort’s 11th train, and they expect to add a 12th next year to get the fleet back to the size it was before July’s tragic crash.

CO-OP Presents: ‘MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE’ (RAW CUTS / GERMANY),

Playing a 5 Hour Set

Sat 5th Dec

Supported by:  CO-OP DJ’s

Tickets: On Sale at Resident Advisor,

Info: Check Facebook Event

Mix: Motor City Drum Ensemble at Beats In Space #461 & Playlist

Now two parties young, and on the back of THAT headline appearance from Berlin’s Vincenzo in August, CO-OP returns in December with another drool-worthy line-up. Continuing the protocol of bringing some of the international electronic music fraternity’s coolest makers and shakers down under for the first time, the night will be headlined by one of 2009’s most talked about House music heroes, Danilo Plessow, AKA Motor City Drum Ensemble. With a 5 hour set locked, CO-OP will be showcasing the MCDE dancefloor manifesto in all its glory (i ncluding a few trademark Raw Cuts no doubt), with a journey fr om pitche d down proto-House to Disco-Tech deepness via a smattering of Funked-up jams – be there or get well annoyed by hearing about how good it was after.

The venue of choice for this particular P.A.R.T.Y. will be announced closer to the day of reckoning, although the rumor that it will be intimate, inner-city and, err, interplanetary (?) is by no means scurrilous. In fact, it can be confirmed that CO-OP #3 will play host to little more than 200 humans, meaning that the promoters fully expect the night to be 100% pre-sale.

As usual, CO-OP’s friends at Night Works Audio will be looking after the sound-system and your hearing with the installation of their Funktion-One bits and pieces, ensuring that the talent’s records are heard as some higher power intended. The CO-OP residents will also be doing some digging in support of the headliner and hence dancers can expect a thorough full body workout over the evening.

Anyone who knows, well, anything, or attended the August night, will already be aware that the aforementioned Jockey Of The Disc and now trademark CO-OP phatmosphere (like atmosphere but phatter, obviously) will mean busyness as usual. Two thirds of tickets sold out in advance of the Vincenzo show, so with another exclusive 5 hour Sydney set from a highly respected ‘artiste’ on the bill for December there’ll be an even higher chance of all consuming sadness for some on the 5th if the long game isn’t played. Plus, the sooner tickets are landed the cheaper they’ll be, its only fair – scuttle in the direction of that renowned emporium of electronic music information Resident Advisor now and do the right thing.

MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE (RAW CUTS / GERMANY)

A Stuttgart native (hence the Motor City reference within his best known alias, it being Germany’s answer to Detroit along with Frankfurt), Danilo Plessow has been dabbling in the deeper shades of dance since his early teenage years.

With his inimitable Raw Cuts series seamlessly joining the dots between classic Chicago House, Detroit Techno and New York Disco (via Stuttgart, of course), and gaining support from every DJ with taste and ears (pretty much), Plessow’s take on dance music references its rich history while always pushing its boundaries. The multi-faceted nature of the MCDE sound is made even more impressive by the fact that its perpetrator is yet to celebrate his 25th birthday!

From the age of 17 Danilo has been gaining props for his recorded output, first for the Jazzy House and Broken Beat cuts created under the Inverse Cinematics moniker with his friend Joachim Tobias, which issued several 12”s, numerous remixes and one LP. Since the MCDE project came to life in 2008, Mr Plessow has been on something of a dream run, to date issuing 6 volumes of the Raw Cuts series which have united fans of deep Disco and deeper House with their distinctive cut and paste flavor.

2009 has already seen the MCDE remix touch applied to scene stalwarts DJ T, Steve Bug, Jazzanova, DJ Sprinkles and Toby Tobias among others, with original productions for 20:20 Vision and Mule Musiq also delighting dancers all over. Meanwhile, Mr P’s MCDE label and Four RosesMujaba) continue to turn heads, and DJ bookings keep the passport stamps coming for Danilo (recent jaunts include the UK, US and Russia), leading to the conclusion that the only way continues to be up for Motor City Drum Ensemble.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?124407

CO-OP FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi…5203660&ref=nf

Motor City Drum Ensemble live on Beats In Space Mix#461(August 11 2009)

Click to download at Beatsinspace.com

Tracklist

1. Lindstrøm and Solale – So Much Fun (Dølle Jølle Remix) – Feedelity
2. Bocca Grande – Over Dose – Four Roses Records
3. Dr. Suess – Hop On Pop – Holistic Records
4. Kid Swing – Like It Was 199 – MCDE
5. Harry Swinger – A – Rush Hour
6. Lowtec – Soliloquies - Polyfon
7. Michael Wycoff – Looking Up To You (The Revenge Remix) – MCDE
8. Subway – Giving My Love To You – Nuphonic
9. Motor City Drum Ensemble – Raw Cuts #6 – MCDE
10. Motor City Drum Ensemble – Monorail – MCDE
11. Janet Rushmore – Joy (Kerri Chandler Remix) -
12. Motor City Drum Ensemble – Get Started – 20:20 Vision
13. Classic Flowers – Which Flower – Four Roses Records
14. Bocca Grande – Intensive Spot - Four Roses Records
15. Art Of Tones – Call The Shots (MCDE Remix) – 20:20 Vision
16. Jazzanova – Look What U Doin To Me (MCDE Remix) – Universal

]]> http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/tram-on-tires-guided-light-transit-glt-the-ultimate-guided-bus/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:19:12 +0000 zweisystem http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/tram-on-tires-guided-light-transit-glt-the-ultimate-guided-bus/ http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/cargotram-taking-commercial-trucks-off-the-road-is-translink-planning-for-the-future-can-translink-plan-for-the-future/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:40:01 +0000 zweisystem http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/cargotram-taking-commercial-trucks-off-the-road-is-translink-planning-for-the-future-can-translink-plan-for-the-future/ http://transitmy.org/2009/10/21/ag-2008/ Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:12:37 +0000 transitmy http://transitmy.org/2009/10/21/ag-2008/

• Update #3 – Public Accounts Committee to investigate KTMB Double tracking project
• Update #2 – Updated with new articles!

TRANSIT takes note of the Auditor General’s Report for 2008, which details issues related to government spending and procurement.

• National (English)
• States (English)

This year, there were three specific mentions of public transport that you should be aware of:

1. The Terengganu government was criticized for their RM10.5 million purchase of 26 buses for the creation of the Rapid Terengganu bus service. [TRANSIT: We criticized them too]

2. Prasarana was criticized for a number of issues including:

• Losses at KL Infrastructure Group (in the take over of the KL monorail);
• Liabilities at RapidKL, which was described as incapable of taking care of the cost of maintaining the buses and rail (routine preventive, predictive, overhaul and refurbishment works) that it is responsible for;
• Issues with the purchase of buses by Prasarana and the quality of those buses;
• Accumulated losses of RM 839 million from 2005-2007

Graphic of Prasarana corporate structure and issues named in the Auditor General's Report 2008. Graphic is courtesy of The Star

[TRANSIT: Please note that the graphic above which was produced in the Star may not reflect the current structure of Prasarana's holdings. We understand that Prasarana has merged with the RapidKL branch and that RapidKL Sdn. Bhd. and RapidPenang Sdn. Bhd. are equally subsidiaries of Prasarana. However, this is to be confirmed]

MANAGEMENT OF SYARIKAT PRASARANA NEGARA BERHAD (page 35-36)

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) is wholly owned by the Government with a paid up capital of RM3.80 billion. The company is responsible to manage the infrastructure of public transportation in Klang Valley and Penang. As at 31 December 2008, Prasarana had issued 8 bonds totalling RM8.47 billion to finance its activities.

The audit revealed that the financial performance and management activities of Prasarana were not satisfactory. It had incurred losses from the year 2005 to 2007 and the accumulated losses as at 31 December 2007 was RM839.81 million. Due to poor cash flow, it is not possible for Prasarana to redeem the balance of the issued bond amounting to RM7.10 billion. In addition, the management of its activities especially procurements, write-offs and record keeping of assets were not satisfactory and key performance indicators were not established. In this regard, the Board of Directors and the management of Prasarana as well as the Ministry of Finance should consider the following matters:

• The Board should ensure that Prasarana has the mechanism to monitor the status of assets being used by its operator to ensure that assets are properly maintained and not exposed to the risk of being lost and misused.
• The management should re-examine the role of RapidKL as the bus and Light Rail Transit operator as well as to determine alternative propositions as a long term plan. This is due to the increasing critical financial position of Prasarana to bear the cost of maintenance of buses and rails amounting to RM10.50 million which should have been borne by RapidKL.
• The Board should ensure that Prasarana’s subsidiaries comply with Government circulars as the Government does have interest in these subsidiaries. The Board should also closely monitor the performance of such subsidiaries to ensure that they operate efficiently and in consistence with their objectives. For dormant subsidiaries, the Board should determine a suitable business plan and if these subsidiaries are not required any more, then steps should be taken to wind them up.
• The Ministry of Finance should closely monitor Prasarana to ensure its finance is being managed efficiently and prudently in order to improve its cash flow and consequently being able to redeem its issued bonds.
• The Ministry of Finance should state clearly the requirement of Prasarana to abide to the conditions of procurement through direct negotiation as stated in its approval letter. In addition, the Ministry of Finance should forbid its officers from approving any procurement relating to a company if he/she is a member of the Board of that company. This is to avoid any conflict of interest.
• The Ministry of Finance should establish an indicator specifically to be used as a basis for bonus payments for companies having social commitments such as Prasarana

3. The Ministry of Transport was criticized for poor management of the Electrified Double Tracking Project between Rawang and Ipoh, including cost overruns, delays in the project and not procuring the trains in time.

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (page 21-22)

Electrified Double Track Project Between Rawang And Ipoh

The Electrified Double Track Project Between Rawang And Ipoh was implemented at a cost of RM5.77 billion through 2 packages namely the Infrastructure Package and System Package. The main contractor for the Infrastructure Package is DRB-Hicom Berhad (DRB-Hicom) while Mitsui-MTS Konsortium (Mitsui) is the contractor for the System Package. The audit revealed the objective of the project was not fully achieved due to several weaknesses such as delay in project completion that resulted in an estimated cost overrun of RM1.43 billion, procurement of excess equipments and noncoordination of train procurement with infrastructure development. In addition, there is possibility of the Government bearing part of the losses estimated at RM1.14 billion. This is due to a maximum liability of RM257.99 million that could be claimed from the contractor as stipulated in terms and conditions of the contract between DRB-Hicom (original contractor) and the Government. To ensure Government gets value for money and also to prevent the recurrence of the same weaknesses in other projects, it is recommended that the Ministry of Transport (Ministry), Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) and related central agencies consider the following matters:

• The Ministry should impose penalties amounting to RM80.88 million (per day) on DRB-Hicom for failing to complete the project on time.
• Five sets of Automatic Fare Collection System which are still kept in the store should be distributed to commuter stations that require them to avoid wastage.
• The Ministry/KTMB should ensure all defects are rectified by contractors during the Defects Liability Period so that the Government will not incur additional cost for repairs.
• Procurements of related equipments and facilities should be synchronized with the infrastructure and system development. In this regard, equipments and facilities should be procured when the progress of construction work achieved 80% so that the infrastructure could be fully utilised upon completion.
• As stipulated in terms and conditions of the contract, the Ministry should report to the Ministry of Finance to terminate the service of the project manager who failed to perform.
• Central Agencies should allocate sufficient funds to procure equipments/facilitiesthat are components of the project to enable a completed project to function according to plan.

TRANSIT Says:

As you might imagine…when someone says “don’t worry” we start to worry. So please, bear with us as we put our comments together and try to unravel some of the issues in the Ministry of Transport, Government of Terengganu and Prasarana.

More information can be found at these sources:

• Double-track rail job next PAC target (NST)
• Anti-graft body studying report (The Star)
• Auditor-General: Prasarana in danger of not meeting RM7.1b bonds payment (The Edge)
• Other anomalies revealed in Prasarana audit (The Edge)
• RM10mil [Terengganu] buses going nowhere (The Star)
• Big role for Prasarana (The Star)
• Don’t worry, Prasarana Negara bondholders have Govt guarantee (The Star)
• Prasarana Called To Review RapidKL’s Role (Bernama)
• Auditor General’s 2007 Report (BM)

Walt Disney World has announced to build a new monorail train from the undamaged remains of the two trains that collided in a fatal accident this summer. The new monorail, expected to be put in service later this fall, will be given a teal stripe to differentiate it from the other trains.

Even with the addition of this new monorail train, the Resort will be one short of its previous twelve trains before the accident. Disney announced their expectation to add another train to the line next year, giving the monorail system their normal number of twelve trains once again.

The two colors that were involved in the accident, Pink and Purple, are retired out of respect for Austin Wuennenberg, his family, and the other cast member involved in this terrible incident. [Source: Orlando Sentinel, Photo: Disney Top 10]

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By the time Rebekka woke up, her dream had altered her mind. She sat up and decidedly left the house with new focus. Today she would purchase a new coat, a copy of Ezra Pound’s Cantos, and become an entirely new person by evening, just like in her dream.

Walt Disney World will add an eleventh train to its monorail fleet this fall.  The teal colored train is actually made from undamaged parts of Monorails Pink and Purple, the two trains involved in the fatal crash in July.  The colors pink and purple will be retired from the monorail fleet out of respect for employees.

According to Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez, the new train will undergo the same rigorous testing as other new trains.  They expect to add a 12th train next year, which will return the fleet to the size it was before the July accident.

[via OrlandoSentinel.com]

Walt Disney World has built a new monorail train using the undamaged remains of two trains that collided in a deadly accident over the summer.

The new train is expected to go into service later this fall.

It will be painted with a teal stripe to distinguish it from the resort’s other trains, each of which have a unique color. Disney said the colors pink and purple — the colors of the two trains involved in the collision — will be retired out of respect for employees following the first fatal accident in the Disney World monorail’s 38-year history.

More Here.

Orlando Sentinel, Oct. 15th 2009