Not an ‘ordinary service disruption’: Malaysia’s transport minister on LRT derailment in KL
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All 25 passengers were safely evacuated during the May 28 incident, and crowds of passengers were left stranded at stations along the route.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
PETALING JAYA – A special task force has been formed to investigate the LRT train derailment incident near the Chan Sow Lin station in Kuala Lumpur, which severely impacted rail services on May 28, said Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the task force would focus on identifying the cause of the incident with any findings to be submitted to Cabinet as soon as possible, with a report on the incident to be made public.
“What happened is a very serious incident, as such events are not merely ordinary service disruptions since any train derailment carries a high safety risk to passengers and staff.
“Although all 25 passengers involved in this incident were safely evacuated with no injuries, the ministry remains firm that we will not allow public safety to be compromised,” he said in a press statement on May 28.
Mr Loke also said that the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) had been instructed to impose maximum possible penalties on the rail operator Prasarana Malaysia immediately, adding that an investigation file on the incident has been opened by APAD.
He also called for serious action, including potential dismissals, to be taken by Prasarana’s board of directors against any parties that are found negligent in their responsibilities, which led to the incident.
“Prasarana cannot continue with business as usual as safety standards and the reliability of public transport services are not something that can be compromised.
“Not even Prasarana’s top management will be exempt from accountability, as we must restore public confidence in the reliability of the rail services operated under Prasarana,” he said.
The train derailment is believed to have occurred due to a track switch failure on the morning of May 28. It caused significant disruptions to the Ampang and Sri Petaling LRT Lines, with crowds of passengers left stranded and waiting in long lines at stations along the route. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
