Prasarana denies 'overcrowding' on monorail train

KUALA LUMPUR: Prasarana Malaysia Berhad has denied a news report published on a portal that showed congestion on a monorail train during the Movement Control Order (MCO). It described the news as misleading.

In a statement today, the company also invited the media to conduct its own survey at the monorail station to see the real situation.

"Prasarana is doubtful whether the photograph was (actually) taken during the MCO, which began on Jan 13.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation on all our rail services -- MRT, LRT and Monorail -- and, to the best of our knowledge, there has never been congestion or 'overcrowding' as stated in the report," the company said.

Prasarana stressed that all Rapid KL rail services operate in strict compliance with the standard operating procedure requirements, set by the National Security Council, Transport Ministry and Health Ministry.

Prasarana also issues warnings on trains and at stations (for commuters) to always practice the principles of the 3Cs (crowded places, confined spaces and close conversation) and 3Ws (wash, wear and warn) as recommended by the government, the statement said.

A news portal had published an article accompanied by an undated photograph showing passengers on a monorail train coach with the headline ‘KL under MCO, but monorail packed to the brim during rush hour’.

The article mentioned that the photograph was sent by an unnamed passenger, who questioned why such a situation happened in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor during the MCO.

Meanwhile, Prasarana said the number of monorail passengers fell sharply to about 10,000 a day on average since the MCO began this year compared to 46,000 a day in 2019 before the country faced the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- BERNAMA