PULAU INDAH: Prasarana Malaysia Bhd will received 19 new trains for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Kelana Jaya line, to be adopted in stages until December 2024.
The procurement, under the Kuala Lumpur Additional Vehicle 27 (KLAV 27) project, is worth RM1.72 billion and was first implemented in 2017.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said through KLAV 27, the supply contract was awarded to Hartasuma Sdn Bhd.
He said Hartasuma had handed over eight new four-car trains last year, with the remaining trains scheduled to be delivered from July 2023 to December 2024.
The additional trains, he added, would shorten the waiting time especially during peak hours.
Through KLAV 27 project, he said local involvement in the industry had increased by 45 per cent.
"Hartasuma is a local company that has been successful in the installation of railway carriages over the years. It has increased its local expertise, with 45 per cent of local involvement from homegrown expertise and resources.
"This is a breakthrough in the efforts to empower the national rail ecosystem. I hope local contributions will continue to increase soon.
"It will make sure that Malaysia will become a country which has skills and expertise in the industry," he said after visiting the Hartasuma factory in Pulau Indah, Klang, today.
Meanwhile, Hartasuma co-founder and executive director Tan Sri Ravindran Menon said the group was also currently working with the National Rail Vehicle Centre of Excellence (NRCOE) under the Transport Ministry to become a Tier 1 vendor and be eligible to install and overhaul local bodies under the Rail Industry Development Program (RIDP).
He said these efforts could enhance Malaysia's technical capabilities and also help reduce capital outflow.
Local participation, he said, was also expected to increase in upcoming group projects.
"This type of technology transfer also allows us to explore other opportunities such as cable car systems. The technology is environmentally friendly, sustainable and economically smart.
"It will be a marker of our transition from contract-based revenue to concessions," he said.
Ravindran said Hartasuma plans to strengthen human capital for the rail industry by becoming an instructional facility that develops and nurtures local talent in various areas of rail industry expertise.
"We have collaborated with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and will soon be part of an ecosystem that produces skilled workforce," he said.