Seven-day Al-Mashaer operations come to close

As the seven-day operations of the Al-Mashaaer Train came to a close Sunday, Haji Zaki Mohamad is a relieved man.

Entrusted with the task of mobilizing a total of 423 Malaysians to Makkah for the operations, Zaki, deputy director of operations (manpower and administration), said all staff members seconded for the assignment performed their duties well.

“Some had even performed way beyond expectation and went all the way off their job scope in carrying out this assignment. 

“While some supported the rail operations especially on crowd control at the stations; others volunteered at the kitchen to prepare meals for the team. I can only say that I am very proud with the team and what they had accomplished. 

“This is no small feat. This is the first international assignment for Prasarana Malaysia Berhad and, as a whole, Prasarana is very happy,” said Zaki.

Attached to Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd in Subang, he acknowledged that there are still rooms for improvement to further elevate the train services, which operate specifically for the Haj season and only for a duration of seven days from the 7th of the lunar month of Dhul Hijjah.

“Naturally, we can do better in the future. This year, we have to take into account of the very short period that we need to prepare for the event. We signed the agreement in May; but the handover only started in June. We commenced staff mobilization immediately by first sending in the necessary team for inspection of the entire assets and facilities, procurement processes and mapping out the works.

“It was not a simple straight forward exercise as there was the Rapid KL operations in Klang Valley to be considered as well. Then, there was also the need to provide training for the relevant staff including sending a small group to Canada to familiarize themselves with the operation control center and signaling system used by Makkah Metro.