We have heard of the frequent breakdown of the Kelana Jaya LRT line since the beginning of this year. However, it appears that the situation is worsening as we are approaching the end of the year.
In a statement on Wednesday (9 November), Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd (RapidRail) announced that the Kelana Jaya LRT line service between the Kelana Jaya and Ampang Park stations will be suspended for a week until 15 November while the technical team is identifying the cause of the service disruption.
Meanwhile, RapidRail said the LRT service will operate from Gombak station to the Damai station and from the Lembah Subang station to Putra Heights, but the LRT service would end earlier at 11 pm to give more time for the engineering team to carry out the repair work.
Kemaskini Laluan Kelana Jaya: Berikut adalah stesen-stesen yang akan beroperasi sehingga jam 11 malam. pic.twitter.com/QWsFCjajYw
— Ask Rapid KL (@AskRapidKL) November 8, 2022
The railway operator explained that the disruption was due to an unstable Automatic Train Control System (ATC), but they have yet to identify the cause of the disruption.
“The disruption, which resulted in the loss of signal between the control centre and also the trains caused the trains to be dysfunctional automatically between the Kelana Jaya station and the Ampang Park station.”
“This is a serious problem that has never happened before. Rapid Rail is assisted by a special team from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Thales Group from Toronto, Canada, to find short and long-term solutions. This includes tests on existing devices and software,” it said.
In the meantime, RapidKL has offered free bus rides at the affected LRT stations as damage control. It added that the public can refer to RapidKL’s social media channels and the Pulse app for the latest status of LRT service and feeder bus service.
Kemaskini Laluan LRT Kelana Jaya: Bas perantara percuma disediakan antara Stesen Ara Damansara, Pasar Seni, Kelana Jaya, Masjid Jamek dan Dato’ Keramat. Ikuti kami untuk perkembangan selanjutnya. pic.twitter.com/pR7DNIMIrW
— Ask Rapid KL (@AskRapidKL) November 9, 2022
Commuters want refund
Following the announcement, angry commuters took to social media to vent their frustration and demand a refund for their monthly pass, especially in accounts belonging to operator RapidRail Sdn Bhd.
At the same time, many also shared their plight of not having other affordable commute options.
“This is a national emergency, people are expected to be at work on time, not enough WFH, people need to travel for medical reasons, people who don’t own cars, who can’t drive, who can’t afford Grab. This is an assault against the poor. When we fighting back?” a netizen commented.
On the other hand, several netizens called for the top management of the railway operator to step down for failing to resolve the issue.
“Thousands of Malaysians that depend solely on public transportation to go to work, etc… now have to find other means to move around, most don’t even own a vehicle. The top management that handles Rapid KL needs to liquidate. Shameful,” a netizen said.
Stay tuned for more updates!
 announced that the Kelana Jaya LRT line service between the Kelana Jaya and Ampang Park stations will be suspended for a week until 15 November while the technical team is identifying the cause of the service disruption.){kind=link}