Bomb hoax delays journey of 1,200 passengers

Police found empty bottles wrapped in a mat buried close to a bridge.

TAPAH: A bomb hoax forced the closure of 76km of railway tracks between Tanjung Malim and Tapah Road for 12 hours today, halting several train services and delaying the journey of more than 1,200 passengers.

Police ordered Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) to shut down the stretch of tracks at 1.45am following a telephone call that a bomb had been placed at one of the bridges.

Tapah police chief Supt Roslan Bek Ahmad said a bomb disposal unit from the Perak police headquarters conducted a check on the 21 bridges along the stretch, its work hampered by the darkness.

The unit found something buried close to a bridge at Km259.25 near Slim River at about noon, but it turned out to be empty bottles wrapped in a mat, he told a news conference here.

The police then established that there was no bomb and the call was a hoax, he said, adding that police were tracing the caller whose identity they knew.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 505 of the Penal Code pertaining to public mischief which provided for a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both upon conviction.

KTMB marketing manager Mohd Nordin Kimi, when contacted, said KTMB made available 11 buses and four taxis to shuttle stranded passengers between Tapah Road and Tanjung Malim.

In KUALA LUMPUR, KTMB issued a statement saying that more than 1,200 passengers of the Intercity and Electric Train Service (ETS) north of Kuala Lumpur were affected by the incident.

Shuttle buses

The statement said the Ekpres Sinaran Utara (No 10) from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth was cancelled.

It also said that the Ekspres Senandung Langkawi (No 21) and Ekspres Senandung Mutiara (No 23) from the north stopped at the Tapah road and Kampar stations, respectively, and the passengers were taken in buses to the KL Sentral station.

The ETS, involving the ET02, ET24, ET62 and ET26 trains, terminated the service at the Tanjung Malim station and the passengers were taken in shuttle buses to the Tapah Road station, the statement said.

The ET21, ET01 and ET25 trains terminated their service at the Tapah Road station and the passengers were ferried in shuttle buses to the Tanjung Malim station, it added.

The statement said train services were expected to resume fully at 2 pm.

The public can call 1-300-88-5862 for details.