KUALA LUMPUR: One of the two Automated People Mover (APM) or aerotrain services at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is expected to start operating next year.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said his ministry has instructed Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to ensure that works to upgrade the system are completed on schedule or earlier.

"The train is at the end of its life, it has been in service for 25 years. The decision to replace this train should have been implemented earlier, but due to the delay in making the decision, we had to suspend the service temporarily.

"We know this issue gives a bad image to the country because it is the gateway to the country and I have put pressure on MAHB so that it is implemented according to schedule," he said during an oral question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this in his reply to a supplementary question from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) regarding the government's measures to overcome the aerotrain service problems at KLIA which has an impact on the tourist arrival process.

Loke said the aerotrain project is not under the responsibility of the Transport Ministry but funded by MAHB, however, the weaknesses that occur need to be rectified immediately to avoid a negative impact on public transport services at the country's main entry point.

Replying to the original question of Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang) regarding the plan to repair the light rail transit (LRT) system in the Klang Valley which often suffers damage, Loke said several steps are being implemented by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad and Rapid Rail to improve the quality of the services.

"For the Ampang LRT Line, overhaul work is being carried out on the train component system involving all 50 trains since October 2022 and is expected to be completed in December 2027, while on the Kelana Jaya Line, the purchase of 19 new sets of 4-car trains (KLAV27) will be received in stages from August this year.

"For the monorail route, efforts are being made to complete two new monorail trains (RSV31 and RSV32) and repair on monorail train (RSV24) which is expected to be fully completed in March 2025," he said.

In addition, he said, the replacement of train wheels for the Kajang Line involving all 58 trains is expected to be fully completed in January 2025.

He also reminded public transport service operators to adopt a culture of maintenance according to the schedule and not only when the train encounters problems.

-- BERNAMA