MCA Youth has called for the Transport Ministry (MOT) to address a recent incident where a door malfunction on an arriving MRT at the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT station had left many passengers stranded both inside and outside the carriage.
Its deputy chairman Mike Chong Yew Chuan said urgent attention on the matter is required to ensure that the country upholds world-class public transportation facilities and top-notch maintenance services.
“In the Klang Valley area, public rail transit has experienced frequent breakdowns over the past few months,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (May 7).
“This not only unnecessarily delays passengers’ commuting time and travel plans but also indirectly erodes people’s confidence in using public transport as a means of transportation and jeopardises the government’s goal of attracting more citizens to use public transport.”
Citing the Kajang Line and the Putrajaya Line as examples, Chong said both are fairly new major routes that were fully operational in July 2017 and March 2023 respectively but have experienced breakdowns at regular intervals.
On Oct 17, 2023, the Putrajaya Line suffered a prolonged stoppage due to a track switch malfunction, while on Oct 27, the door of a train carriage malfunctioned at the MRT Merdeka station during peak hours in the evening.
Meanwhile, during peak hours in the evening of Nov 14, the Putrajaya Line was unable to operate due to a power outage while recently, on March 20 this year, the MRT Kajang Line experienced a momentary setback during the busy morning rush hour due to a glitch in the automated door system at the Surian MRT station.
On this issue, Chong said MCA Youth has no intention of pointing fingers at any party, and that the public transportation network was constructed according to international standards, aimed at enabling passengers to enjoy safe, comfortable and reliable facilities while decreasing the number of vehicles on the road.
“Therefore, after implementing the service, we should also have first-class maintenance to improve passenger satisfaction and encourage more people to use public transportation,” he added.
He said in addition to regular inspections and maintenance, upgrading and updating components cannot be taken lightly.
“The ability of the staff to respond to faults promptly and shorten repair times are crucial, and they must also be provided with regular training and updates,” he remarked.
“Only by being open to accepting recommendations and serious improvements can we ensure that the country’s public transportation system remains in optimal condition at all times.”
During the recent incident at the TRX MRT station, the train, which arrived at the station on schedule between 8am and 9am, failed to open its doors, causing a disruption in the flow of passengers, according to media reports.
According to a Xiaohongshu reader who posted the video on the social media platform, the train was delayed for approximately three minutes before it departed the station, and normal service resumed only after the next train arrived.
The user also stated that this was not the first time the MRT had malfunctioned. – May 8, 2024
Main pic credit: The Star
