Time and again, commuters taking the Light Rail Transit (LRT) arrive at their destinations late due to “technical” glitches.
A frequent user, Madzlan, told Actionline that the train he was travelling on stopped at the Bangsar LRT station for seven minutes during a downpour.
“It has been a norm for the trains to stop longer at the stations when it rains, leading many of us to wonder if the coaches are not waterproof.
“I boarded the train at the Taman Jaya LRT station to go to KL Sentral, but the train stopped for seven minutes at the Bangsar station.
“I am curious why there are delays in services every time it rains. Are they due to signalling problems or power issues?
“Does this mean that it is not advisable for commuters to take the LRT when it rains?”
Madzlan wanted Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd to explain if such technical problems could be resolved.
“However, credit must be given to the staff who control the crowd at KL Sentral Komuter station. Commuters are not allowed onto the platforms until they have been cleared of disembarking passengers.
“This prevents overcrowding on the platforms, where there is a risk of people falling onto the tracks.
ACTIONLINE
Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Zohari Sulaiman said LRT trains that ran remotely had built-in safety features which would stop the trains if there were any disruptions.
“The operations of urban rail systems and services require the seamless operations of thousands of components.
“Due to the built-in safety features on the Kelana Jaya Line trains, which are driverless, any disruption would result in the temporary suspension of services along the entire line.”
He said despite efforts taken to ensure the systems and components operated seamlessly, there were bound to be glitches.
“We wish to thank Madzlan for his feedback,but such disruptions are not confined to poor weather.
“The disruptions could be attributed to technical and non-technical factors.
“In some situations, it is due to human behaviour, such as commuters rushing to board the train even as the train doors are closing or crossing the tracks to get to the other side of the station quickly.
“Nevertheless, the reliability of the Rapid KL LRT services is at 99.7 per cent, which averages approximately 18 hours of service interruptions in a year.
“This is on a par with most urban rail operators globally.”