LRT structural damage likely caused by 44-storey hotel construction

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the damage to the flyover structure and pillars near the Bandaraya and Masjid Jamek LRT stations was believed to have been caused by the construction of a 44-storey hotel.

He said the structural damage had affected the LRT service between Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations since Jan 27.

“The project is a construction of a 44-storey hotel. That was the result of the investigation by a consultant company appointed by the ministry.

"The final report will be handed to Prasarana (Malaysia Bhd),” he said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Elaborating on the damage, Loke (above) said all projects that are proposed to be built near any LRT stations need to get approval from the Land Public Transport Commission (Apad) before construction can commence.

“We regret the incident that happened because (the project) was started without approval or permission and this has affected us and the people (using public transport).

“The disruption was not caused by problems with our system but it is because of the structural damage caused by the construction project next to the Bandaraya LRT station,” he said.

Ground movement

The results of the investigation, he said, showed that the damage to three viaduct and pier structures was due to “ground movement” believed to be from the construction site next to the station.

“As stated by Apad on Jan 27, work began without any consultation with Apad under the Railway (Railway Protection Zone) Regulations 1998,” he said.

Loke said that Prasarana is now appointing a contractor to carry out restoration work which will start in early March and is expected to take up to seven months.

This period includes two months for temporary work in order to strengthen the structure and five months for more comprehensive repairs.

“The repairs will take time because the probe showed that the damage to the affected structure poses a very serious safety risk,” he said.

At the end of last month, Prasarana announced there were service disruptions between the Bandaraya and Masjid Jamek LRT stations due to the bent alignment of the tracks. - Mkini