Malaysia’s LRT line running smoothly after 5-day breakdown to a key section
Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia
Commuters at the platform along the Kelana Jaya line in 2018. The LRT line caters to some 300,000 commuters a day.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Follow topic:
JOHOR BAHRU - Malaysia’s light rail transit (LRT) system resumed operations and was running smooth on Monday, following a f ive-day breakdown involving 16 stations,
He said he has been getting regular updates from Prasarana Malaysia’s Group CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah on the status of the LRT Line. Prasarana Malaysia, a government agency, operates the fast rail network through a subsidiary RapidKL, with the system serving Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Selangor districts.
“Early this morning, I received a report from Azharuddin saying that the trains have been moving smoothly during peak hours.
“At about 11am, I received another update, also from Prasarana, that the trains and system are still operating well without any hiccups so far.
“I have told Prasarana, including our technical team and Thales Group, to be on standby and ensure the LRT line continues to run well,” Datuk Seri Wee said after attending an event in Johor Bahru. The Canada-based Thales Group is the signalling supplier for the affected LRT Line.
Tens of thousands of LRT commuters in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were left frustrated on Wednesday last week due to service disruptions caused by train signalling issues on the Kelana Jaya LRT line, one of the earliest rapid transit systems in Malaysia.
The government shut down 16 stations along the line from Wednesday, and called in foreign experts, announcing that these stations would be shut until Nov 15.
In the Klang Valley – comprising the densely-populated capital city KL and districts in southern Selangor – the LRT, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), KTM Komuter and the monorail are enmeshed in a network used by some 700,000 people daily.
The Kelana Jaya LRT line, which is centered on downtown Kuala Lumpur, caters to some 300,000 commuters a day.
Transport Minister Wee said on Monday that the operation of the Kelana Jaya LRT Line will be monitored closely in the next few days.
“The Kelana Jaya LRT Line will continue to be observed so that we can act quickly if there is a need for any improvements. I hope that the train services will continue operating as usual,” he said.
Regular LRT commuters were relieved that the line reopened a day earlier than announced. Most had to use buses provided by Prasarana, while others drove to their destinations using personal vehicles.
Wrote Twitter user @uaenalily: “I no longer need to take the bus because I cannot adapt to the traffic jams. If I take the bus it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach home compared to taking the train, which takes only 40 minutes.... It was too tiring and exhausting,.”
Another Twitter user, @mrsndira, wrote: “I don’t have to pay RM15 (S$4.45) parking a day for my car” anymore. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
