Expect disruptions on Kelana Jaya LRT, says Loke

 

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook says the Kelana Jaya LRT service is not fully stable yet.

KUALA LUMPUR: Transport minister Loke Siew Fook has told commuters to expect disruptions on the Kelana Jaya LRT line in the coming months.

At a press conference here today, Loke apologised to commuters, saying these disruptions are expected to continue all the way to the third quarter of 2023.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure the disruptions do not happen frequently. As of now, our services are not fully stable and I’m sorry for that,” he said.

Loke said there are 56 LRT train sets operating on the Kelana Jaya line, of which 18 are under maintenance, meaning that only 38 are being used.

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He said this is why train frequency has been at five minutes lately, even during peak hours.

Once the 18 trains are back in service, the intervals between trains will be reduced to three minutes, he said.

Loke said Prasarana has ordered 19 more train sets, the first of which are expected to arrive in August next year.

“I have also urged Prasarana to expedite the maintenance of the 18 train sets. We hope that by June next year, everything will be stable,” he said.

Loke, who had gone on an unannounced LRT ride during peak hours on Monday evening, said he was dissatisfied with his experience.

“That is why I’m here. (The fact that) I’m here means there is a problem and the management admits it. That’s why we are here to discuss the solutions to make the service better for commuters,” he said.

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Loke also said an independent engineering service firm, WSP, will be conducting an investigation on the five-day closure of 16 LRT stations last month.

The affected stations were Kelana Jaya, Taman Bahagia, Taman Paramount, Asia Jaya, Taman Jaya, Universiti, Kerinchi, Bangsar, Abdullah Hukum, KL Sentral, Pasar Seni, Masjid Jamek, Dang Wangi, Kampung Baru, KLCC and Ampang Park.

The stations were shut following an automatic train control (ATC) system malfunction. Then transport minister Wee Ka Siong had said Prasarana had the option of operating the trains manually, but was not confident enough to do so.

The stations reopened after the modem and power supply for the tracks had been replaced. However, not too long after that, the line continued to experience several technical issues. - FMT