LRT Service (from Bandaraya to Sentul Timur) Suspended!

The LRT service between the Bandaraya and Sentul Timur stations was suspended from April 2. At least six stations are affected. Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd said shuttle bus services will be provided between the stations but advised commuters to use alternative modes of transport. The six stations on the Ampang-Sri Petaling LRT line includes the Bandaraya, Sultan Ismail, PWTC, Titiwangsa, Sentul and Sentul Timur stations.

Rapid Rail said the trains had been unable to return to the depot in Ampang since Jan 27 following the structural damage near the Bandaraya station. Forty shuttle buses have been deployed to ferry commuters between Masjid Jamek to Sentul Timur and Masjid Jamek to Titiwangsa. On Jan 27, the Ampang LRT line experienced delays due to a “kinked track alignment” near the Bandaraya station. Checks found that this was caused by damage to a flyover structure carrying rail tracks due to construction works adjacent to the area. The disruption is set to last, at least, up to September 2023.

Subsequently, Transport Minister said the disruption to the Ampang LRT line between the Bandaraya and Masjid Jamek stations is set to last until around September. This is neither the first nor the only train service in trouble. 

Trains on Putrajaya MRT line are running slower and being manually driven between the Kg Batu and Kentonmen station according to Rapid KL. The new 57.7-km line was launched mid-March by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, connecting Kwasa Damansara and Putrajaya Sentral.  It has 36 stations, nine of which are underground, and 10 of which are interchange stations for passengers to transfer to the Light Rail Transit, Express Rail Link, and Komuter rail systems. The system is fully automatic and driverless, but the trains can also be manually driven if necessary. The slower service is attributed to problems with the track switch.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

In early March 2023, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had to suspend its aerotrain services at KLIA after a breakdown that involved 114 passengers, forcing passengers to walk 400m on the train tracks. MAHB is expected to obtain new trains by 2025 under the RM700 million aerotrain replacement programme. A total of 18 shuttle buses, each accommodating 40 passengers, are being made available 24 hours a day.

New trains or old trains, they are all breaking down. This is a malaise when proper maintenance or commissioning is not done. We want consumers to use public transport. But when they switch to public transport, they are “put-off” by breakdowns. We need 99% reliability for our trains not the “kissing” ones or the “cuddling” ones. Just simple, straightforward services. I find it hard to understand why 25-year-old aerotrains don’t work. With proper overhaul, its service life can be extended by another ten years. Otherwise, during Covid pandemic, MAHB management should have bought new train sets or leased similar workable sets (from Orlando, Florida?).

Now, we have tracks but no trains connecting the satellite building to the Main Terminal. Buses are a stop-gap; bullock carts are better for tourism? Maybe we could get MAHB management to use bicycles for a week as their official transport vehicles, then they could become more responsible?

References:

Slower trains on part of new Putrajaya MRT due to track switch issue, The Vibes, 

23 March 2023

LRT service from Bandaraya to Sentul Timur suspended from April 2, FMT reporters, 30 March 2023

KLIA aerotrain breakdowns have tarnished Malaysia’s image, says Loke, Hana Naz Harun, Qistina Sallehuddin, New Straits Times, 8 March 2023