KUALA LUMPUR: Light Rail Transit (LRT) commuters travelling from Ampang and Putra Heights can continue their journey to the Masjid Jamek station from tomorrow to Feb 16.
Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd (Rapid Rail) LRT chief operating officer Nor Azmi Mohd Yusof said this change in operation will make it easier for users as they will not have to get off at the Hang Tuah LRT station to board a connecting train to get to the Masjid Jamek LRT station.
He said, however, passengers still need to use the free intermediate bus service to continue their journey between the Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations.
"During the same period, Rapid Rail will conduct the final trial operation of the LRT service between the Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations, in preparation for the reopening of this line to users.
"The frequency of trains during peak hours will also be increased to 3.5 minutes for the Central Business District (CBD) and seven minutes outside the CBD following the increase in trains from 24 to 31 trains," he said.
He said this to reporters here today after a media briefing session on the extended trial operations after repairs following structural damage to the flyover in the area and damaged track near the Bandaraya LRT station.
The route between the Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations had been closed for safety reasons since Jan 27, last year, following structural and track damage near the Bandaraya LRT station.
Nor Azmi said the implementation of this final trial operation was carried out in compliance with operational standards to ensure the safety of users and the reliability of the rail system.
"We hope commuters can be patient for a little while more for the final trial to be completed before we can start normal operations which are expected to be implemented at the end of February, depending on the assessment and approval of the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD)," he said.
Meanwhile, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd head of Rail Infrastructure Project Department, Muhammad Hafizi Hashim said the work to repair the structure of the flyover and track near the Bandarajaya LRT station has been fully completed.
"During the repair works, the contractor had installed some equipment to monitor ground movement. For this final trial test, we will continue to record the performance of the ground movement to ensure that everything during the test is by the set standards," he also said. — BERNAMA