LRT turns campaign fodder, Loke vows to fix problems if Harapan wins

The problem-plagued Light Rail Transit (LRT) system has turned into campaign fodder, with former transport minister Anthony Loke ensuring that Pakatan Harapan would get to the bottom of the problem if it returns to power.

He noted that the LRT is a crucial component of Klang Valley’s transportation network, ferrying some 300,000 commuters daily, and the frequent breakdowns posed a major problem.

"Yesterday was the most serious case because a total of 16 stations were affected, not for one day, but seven days,” he told a press conference in Seremban today.

“This means those who rely on the LRT to travel to and fro from work must look for other means of transportation, which is a huge hassle,” he added.

The DAP secretary-general said if Harapan wins the polls, immediate steps would be taken to rectify the technical problems with the LRT system.

"From a technical aspect, I am not familiar with how to resolve this. But the government must expedite the remedial measures,” he added.

The short-term solution, Loke said, would be for the Transport Ministry to provide more buses for the next seven days and to extend the validity of the monthly tickets purchased by commuters as a form of compensation.

"This is to show the government is sincere and recognises the problem the issue has caused for commuters,” he added.

Earlier today, PKR communications director Lee Chean Chung demanded the resignation of Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd's chief executive officer (CEO) Amir Hamdan, saying he should take responsibility for the latest disruption.

“The LRT system is facing one of the worst disruptions in the history of our LRT trains. Our LRT is unserviceable for a week,” he added.

Rapid Rail is the Prasarana subsidiary which manages and operates the LRT and KL monorail.

Meanwhile, Prasana chief executive officer Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah said the Kelana Jaya LRT line had to be suspended at 16 stations because there was a recurring and unprecedented breakdown in its signalling system.

Due to this, he said the control centre is unable to track the train's location and this posed a safety hazard.

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