LRT issue: SPAD to appoint independent auditor

The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) will appoint an independent auditor to assess the dependability, availability, maintenance, safety and capability of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) operations along the Kelana Jaya line.

According to a SPAD statement Thursday, the move would take three months to enable in-depth study into the system issues not covered in the Prasarana Malaysia Berhad's (Prasarana) scope of investigations.

"This includes reviewing and improving the maintenance of assets in order to attain a more dependable service," the statement said.

SPAD said it viewed seriously the disruptions of the LRT services, which occurred twice last week, and had begun its investigations into the technical and non-technical aspects.

Prasarana had also been ordered to submit a preliminary report to SPAD on Sept 21.

SPAD had also instructed Prasarana to take immediate actions to improve the availability of electricity supply and management of the situation following initial assessments of the LRT service disruptions.

These actions include implementing immediate recovery measure by mobilising efforts and resources to upgrade 15 power substations along the Kelana Jaya LRT line, which are expected to be completed between three to six months from the date of implementation.

"These actions would improve the dependability of electricity supply to the Kelana Jaya LRT line by supplying sufficient power to support the increasing demand, rising number of passengers and also to extend the lifespan of the service," SPAD said.

On Sept 7, the LRT train service between the Ampang Park and Dang Wangi stations was disrupted during morning peak hours, causing thousands of passengers to be stranded at several stations before the service was resumed at 1.15pm.

On Sept 9, the service along the Setiawangsa-KLCC route was disrupted at 9am when a train from Datuk Keramat heading towards Jelatek suddenly stopped on the track between the Datuk Keramat and Damai stations, trapping commuters in the train for 20 minutes. -- Bernama