Seven initiatives to improve Kelana Jaya LRT services to be completed by year end - Wee

PUTRAJAYA: Seven long-term service improvement initiatives from the 23 recommendations for the Kelana Jaya Light Rail Transit (LRT) line are being actively carried out and on the right track to be completed by by end of this year, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

He said the RM450 million allocated for the improvement initiatives was to increase passenger safety and reliability following the collision of two trains in an underground tunnel on the Kelana Jaya line on May 24 last year.

"Of the RM450 million, a total of RM350 million was for the electronic train detection systems to ensure 'time-out' trains are detectable remotely. The Kelana Jaya line uses an old system and that is the main factor taken into account," he said.

He said this at a media conference regarding the progress of the implementation of the 23 improvement recommendations for the Kelana Jaya line by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd here today.

Other long-term initiatives include periodic training and re-certification courses to maintain the competencies of operation control centre (OCC) personnel and hostlers; performing RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety) study and assessment on all Prasarana and Rapid Rail assets and systems; and introducing the installation of 'hot button' to simplify OCC control over trains during critical situations.

Wee said that of the 23 recommendations, a total of 16 short- and medium-term initiatives had been fully completed while three more improvement measures had also been implemented.

These involved the installation of closed-circuit cameras in OCC completed in July 2021, increasing the visibility of track sector markers and installing signage in the tunnel that was completed in November 2021 while work to upgrade the radio communication system to fully digital will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

In the May 24, 2021 incident, two LRT trains on the Kelana Jaya line collided in an underground tunnel between the Kampung Baru and KLCC stations.

One train had just the driver while the other had 213 passengers, with 47 suffering serious injuries and 166 sustaining minor injuries in the crash.

-- BERNAMA