Prasarana Malaysia Berhad is set to spend RM2.8 billion over a 5-year period to upgrade its Kelana Jaya light rail transit (LRT) line which has been prone to disruptions over the past few years.
Prasarana president and CEO, Azharuddin Mat Sah asserted that improvements to the 24-year-old transportation line will include an upgrade for its automatic train control (ATC) system and the purchase of 27 new trains.
As reported, Azharuddin said that the upgrades to ATC will involve 2 phases costing RM150 million and RM210 million respectively. The upgrades are also Prasarana’s most important plan to prevent the collision that happened on 24 May 2021 from happening again.
As for the 27 new trains, they will be added between July and December 2024 and are expected to cost RM1.7 billion. In the plan, Prasarana will also initiate maintenance for its existing 35 train sets, which will cost RM800 million.
Azharuddin further asserted that the maintenance and addition of trains were important so that the frequency of trains can be increased to every 3 minutes. He also assured that other station infrastructures, including lifts, escalators, lights and leaks will be improved and fixed.
The Prasarana CEO was quoted as saying, “All those improvements should have been done 2 or 3 years ago because the Kelana Jaya Line has become old and is a necessity for public transport in the Klang Valley.”
“The Kelana Jaya train line is very busy, especially during peak hours. So a study is being done to meet demand ahead of 2030.”
Azharuddin’s statement comes following the meeting between Prasarana and the new Transport Minister Anthony Loke. Last Thursday (December 8), Loke announced that Kelana Jaya LRT line disruptions can be expected until the third quarter of 2023.
So, what do you guys think of the Prasarana CEO’s statement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: Transport Minister Reveals That Kelana Jaya LRT Line Disruptions Can be Expected Until Q3 of 2023
