MRT Corp upbeat with Rapid Rail despite LRT hiccup

KUALA LUMPUR: Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) has expressed confidence in Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd's capability to operate the upcoming MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line successfully.
This is despite recent incidences of commuters being stranded at the Light Rail Transit service on the Kelana Jaya-Gombak line.
MRT Corp strategic communication and stakeholder relations director Datuk Najmuddin Abdullah said the agreement signed with Prasarana's subsidiary, Rapid Rail, the current operators of the Rapid KL LRT, in June will not be affected due to the issue.
"We are very confident with what we have built over the past six years. With the increased safety features on the SBK line such as a 'safety walkway' for the commuters and strategically placed 'track pocket' along the MRT line, we are able to ensure the better safety of commuters.
"The safety walkway is to ensure commuters that in a train breakdown, they are able to walk along the line to the nearest station in relative safety," he told a media briefing on the groundbreaking ceremony of the second MRT line — the Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya line (SSP) Line — scheduled to take place on Thursday.
He said the track pocket is an additional train line which allows trains to park off the main line.
"In situations should a train breakdown, the MRT system is such, it would slide along the track pocket without disrupting the existing train service," he said.
Describing the recent incidents as a hiccup, he said Rapid Rail's experience will prevail when they operate the MRT line.
On Sept 7, hundreds of morning commuters were left stranded as the LRT service for the Kelana Jaya line experienced a temporary delay due to a power trip.
Last Friday LRT commuters were forced to walk to the next station along the track after the train heading to the Jelatek station along the Setiawangsa-KLCC route, during the rush hour, was reported to have stopped suddenly between Datuk Keramat and Damai stations.
The first phase of the SBK Line between Sungai Buloh and Semantan stations will begin operations in December, with the second stage of operations covering the rest of the line to begin in July 2017.