Prasarana needs independent committee to probe disruption of LRT trains - 4PAM

Prasarana needs to form an independent committee comprising all stakeholders to investigate the disruptions in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) service recently.

Malaysian Public Transport Users Association (4PAM) president Ajit Johl said this was necessary to restore public confidence following the disruptions of the Kelana Jaya LRT line on Sept 7 and 9.

"The committee should be a permanent one, and other issues such as tariff hikes, facilities and service levels can also be managed to ensure user expectations are met," he said in a statement here yesterday.

Ajit Johl, who welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's decision to form a committee to address issues and recent incidents involving LRT services, said he hoped Prasarana will also ensure that all safety measures are checked following the Sept 9 evacuation plan where passengers were ushered out of the coaches to walk along the rail tracks which was extremely dangerous.

"They (Prasarana) have to come up with a better evacuation plan for emergencies. It was sheer luck that no one got injured," he said.

On Sept 7, glitches in the signalling and communications system delayed the LRT trains between the Ampang Park and Dang Wangi stations during the morning rush hour, forcing many commuters to be held up at several stations before the service resumed at 1.15 pm.

On Sept 9, a train from Datuk Keramat heading to Jelatek suddenly stopped between the Datuk Keramat and Damai stations at 9.10 am, causing the passengers to be trapped for 20 minutes before someone opened the doors from outside and told them to get off the train and walk on the track to Damai station, which took them 10 minutes. -- BERNAMA