LRT extensions on track to be completed by June next year

KUALA LUMPUR (July 24): The RM1.1 billion light rail transit (LRT) line extensions for both the Ampang and Kelana Jaya lines remain on track and are expected to be fully completed by June next year, said Prasarana group managing director Datuk Azmi Abdul Aziz.

Speaking to reporters at a briefing yesterday, Azmi said the Ampang line extension is now more than 92% completed and is ready for operations on Oct 31 this year.

“We will use eight of our new trains to service the four new stations, which are Awan Besar, Muhibbah, Alam Sutera and Kinrara BK5, along the Ampang line extension project (LEP) , starting Oct 31. In March, we will add another 12 [for a total 20 trains] on the Ampang  LEP once we have completed the signal upgrade works.

“By June 2016, we expect to use all new trains and the LEP for both will be completed and we will utilise all 50 trains,” Azmi said, adding that Prasarana invested RM960 million to purchase 50 trains — 30 to replace the old ones in service since 1996, and 20 for the line extensions.

However, since signal upgrading works will not be completed till March next year, commuters using the extended line will still have to disembark and change trains at the Sri Petaling station.

“Initially you have to change trains once you reach Sri Petaling because the signalling system has not been upgraded yet, and we are using the current trains to service the current route. At Sri Petaling, commuters will transfer to the new trains to get to the four new stations.

“Once we have completed our upgrades next year, transfers will no longer be necessary and it will be a smooth ride,” he said.

With all the upgrading investments that Prasarana is making, it is urging the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to review its ticket rates for an increase.

“We don’t have the authority to determine the ticket price since it is regulated by the government. We gave our proposal and report to SPAD earlier this year. It’s time that the government consider to increase the fare.

“There has not been a [ticket] price review since 2002. At the same time, other costs are increasing. Even the electricity tariff has been increasing. Prasarana is not about making profit but we are about breaking even.

“For now we are breaking even but we have to be mindful [as] the profit generated from rail has to cross subsidise our buses as well,” said Azmi.

Prasarana chairman Tan Sri Ismail Adam also said if the government could not review the tariff, at the very least, it should allow Prasarana to get discounts from Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

“Right now we are paying the actual electricity tariff ... if the government insists on [continuing with] that, we have to review the fare ... but if we can get a discount from TNB, then we can have a better fare structure,” said Ismail.

Touching on Wednesday’s incident when two LRT trains had faulty brake problems, Azmi said he was quite frustrated with the train manufacturers Bombardier and Knorr Brake Company for not being responsive enough to the issue.

“I’ve been quite frustrated with them (Bombardier) because we had informed them of this issue earlier this year. Prasarana will give a notice and strong reminder to the manufacturers to take fast and accurate steps to ensure that this won’t happen again.

“I will see them later today (yesterday) to discuss this issue and get to the root cause of this problem so we can minimise [the risk of it happening again] completely,” said Azmi, adding that there had been two other separate but similar faulty brake incidents prior to the one that happened on Wednesday.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on July 24, 2015.