RAPID Rail Sdn Bhd (Rapid Rail) a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, has set an ambitious target to reduce train frequencies to less than three minutes during peak hours on the Kelana Jaya (KJ) Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line by the coming year.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook expressed confidence that this goal will be realised after the operation of 27 new trains for the KJ LRT Line, part of the RM1.72 bil four-car new train project (KLAV27), commences in December next year.
Currently, the train frequency stands at 3.8 minutes, just under four minutes during peak hours. Loke emphasised that this significant improvement will alleviate the congestion faced by passengers.
“The current capacity exceeds 125 percent during peak hours due to the rush of passengers, so we hope to achieve this goal in the near future, considering the increasing trend in passenger numbers, which now reach 250,000 per day. We are targeting 300,000 passengers next year,” Loke told reporters during a press conference at the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Pasar Seni Station.
Moreover, Loke made this announcement following an inspection of the operation of the new KLAV27 LRT trains on the KJ Line from Universiti LRT Station.
During the inspection, he had the opportunity to experience riding one of the three new trains that began operating on the KJ LRT Line today.
According to the Transport Minister, the KLAV27 project saw its first batch of trains received in stages starting in September 2020.
“A total of 11 trains (out of 27) have been received so far, and the service frequency on the route has now been improved to less than four minutes during peak hours.
“The remaining 16 train sets will be received gradually starting this month until December next year.”
Furthermore, Loke highlighted that with the addition of three new train sets now in operation and the implementation of Rapid Rail’s maintenance initiatives on critical components, the KJ LRT Line currently operates with an average of 44 trains during peak hours. This increase compared to the previous 38 trains is expected to significantly reduce passenger waiting times.
The introduction of these new trains is anticipated to contribute to a decrease in technical issues.
“Recently, there have been fewer breakdowns, and the KJ Line is also functioning well.
“Ensuring that breakdowns do not occur and minimising technical issues is crucial, as it will attract more people to use public transportation,” he said. – Sept 14, 2023
Main photo credit: Bernama
