Taking the train

I started work at a new business unit a couple of weeks ago and have been taking the train everyday to work.

There are two routes that I can take: either Bukit Jalil to Hang Tuah with the LRT then switch to monorail towards Raja Chulan, or go from Bukit Jalil straight to Masjid Jamek with the LRT. The first option involves very little walking and the second option requires a significant amount of walking.

I've tried both options and have decided to take the train direct to to Masjid Jamek and take the 22 minute walk to the office from there each morning and back after work. Part of the reason is because the monorail is usually far more crowded (although it doesn't make much difference on the way back home), it's cheaper and I just don't like the inconvenience of switching trains when it's not necessary. Well, the walks help me get some exercise anyway.

It's been a rather interesting experience to be squeezed in the train everyday, not overly unpleasant unless you're going home during rush hour after work, but also to look around and realise what thousands and hundreds of thousands of people brave through everyday whether in Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, New York...Somehow, even though driving to work is the far more convenient, comfortable and expensive option, I don't mind the train (I'm finding it harder to adapt to the early mornings).

But the thing is, it saves me a lot of money. If I drove, the parking near my office is RM8 per entry (outdoor and with rocky ground), the petrol would be over RM10 and the toll RM5, coming to a total of RM23, without even considering the traffic you would have to face in downtown KL. Taking the train costs me RM 3.80 per day total because the wife drops me off at the station on the way to college and work.

This means that I save a total of between RM400 and RM500 a month on work transportation alone.

That's massive.

I have to face sweaty armpits and elbows in the back, but I don't have to face horrendous traffic. I have to face long walks but I get some exercise everyday.

And, come on, I get to carry my samurai umbrella everyday. How do you beat that?

(On a side note, I get quite irritated when people who keep complaining they are broke and have no money keep taking taxis around and refuse to take the train to a more convenient location for helpful people to pick them up. It's probably a small thing but it bugs me, nonetheless...especially when they stay within close walking distance of a train station.)

Categories: Home, Money