Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd has not ruled out sabotage following the failure of its automatic train control (ATC) system along its Kelana Jaya light rail transit (LRT) line that has resulted in a week-long closure of one of Malaysia’s busiest public transportation routes.
“We are looking at all angles, but for now, we are awaiting experts from Canada (EOM Thales Group) to arrive in a day or two to see what caused the failure of the ATC,” said Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah, Prasarana Group president and group chief executive officer, at a press conference at the Rapid Rail Depot in Lembah Subang, Selangor, this morning.
“We want to know the issue and the cause. That is the priority. We are still investigating. This sort of thing rarely happens anywhere in the world.”
Azharuddin said the electronic malfunction was initially detected on Saturday.
He admitted that the software and hardware, including some trains for the Kelana Jaya line had been operating for 25 years, and was nearing the end of its shelf life.
“In fact, we received permission last month to start the first phase of upgrading works. That will cost RM150 million,” said Azharuddin.
“We did not anticipate this. As I said, it is unusual.”
The Kelana Jaya line serves up to 200,000 passengers per day, with 40 per cent of them during peak hours in the morning and another 40 per cent after office hours.
“I would like to apologise for the inconvenience, but we had to close the line to ensure we get it right. We do not want a short-term solution,” said Azharuddin, who added that the company was looking into compensating consumers who bought the MY50 travel pass.
“We say seven days, but we will try to finish it earlier.”
Separately, Rapid Bus said it would provide replacement bus service to help commuters, with 65 buses already on the road and another 20 expected in the next two days.
Rapid Bus’ chief executive officer Muhammad Yazurin Sallij said they have enough drivers to serve commuters.
“It is always a challenge (to get enough drivers), but we have a pool of drivers that we can deploy to deal with the disruption,” said Yazurin.
Several Pakatan Harapan leaders, including Anthony Loke and Fahmi Fadzil, are expected to organise a press conference regarding the episode this evening.
