Govt appoints independent firm to probe LRT, including sabotage angle

The government-appointed independent consulting firm to investigate the disruption of the LRT system is also checking if it was an act of sabotage.

Caretaker transport minister Wee Ka Siong said further tests are being conducted and an announcement would be made at 6pm tomorrow if the LRT service would resume operation.

At a press conference in Kompleks Rapid Rail today, Wee explained that with the replacement modem and power supply for the tracks now in place, the issue has been rectified.

However, he stressed that further tests on the Kelana Jaya line tomorrow are still necessary.

“The Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) will also need to certify the Thales Group experts’ confirmation that the rail line is safe and stable for use before we can resume operations,” he said in Lembah Subang today.

“If there are no more problems, then we will resume services, with Prasarana making an announcement at 6pm the day before,” he added.

Investigations into the cause of the automatic train control (ATC) system’s breakdown remain inconclusive at this time.

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad said it sought assistance from Thales Group, the original manufacturer of the equipment, for its expertise in order to investigate the issue.

According to Wee, the test taking place tomorrow will see the train running the length of a full day’s service along the Kelana Jaya LRT line.

Service for 16 stations on the Kelana Jaya line, the most heavily used metro rail service in Malaysia, has been suspended due to a fault in the ATC system.

The system controls communication between the driverless trains and the control room and its breakdown poses a safety hazard.

Service from the Kelana Jaya to the Pasar Seni stations was to be suspended until Nov 15. The Kelana Jaya line is driverless and runs autonomously.

The Kelana Jaya line, which opened in 1998, serves 200,000 riders daily.

LRT train pass compensation

Wee also revealed that the rail company could be compensating those impacted by the LRT service disruptions through an extension of the validity period of train passes.

“We see it as unfair if people cannot use (the LRT train service) for one week but still need to pay. The validity period will be extended. How long… depends on the Prasarana management.

“I was informed by Prasarana that will be done,” he said, adding that this included the My50 unlimited pass.

Calls for resignation

Since the incident (which triggered public outcry), Rapid Rail CEO Amir Hamdan has faced calls for his resignation and termination over the halt in the LRT operations from the public and political figures such as PKR communications director Lee Chean Chung.

Asked by Malaysiakini on the resignation calls, Wee sidestepped the question saying:

“I’m just here to solve the problem. Not to create a problem. To me, you can ask whoever raised this question. I’m here to work to solve this problem.”

Malaysiakini asked him to clarify whether this meant that Prasarana would not be taking action on the resignation calls.

“Yes, your analysis, please. I said I only answer questions related to this (press conference),” Wee responded.

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