PRASARANA Malaysia Bhd will spend a total of RM2.8 bil to improve train and bus services, including replacing equipment and increasing the number of trains and buses.
Bernama reported group president and CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah as saying that the provision given by the Finance and Transport Ministries involves the entire public transport service under the management of Prasarana following high demand for its services, especially among Klang Valley residents.
“If improvements are needed, we will replace the equipment as soon as possible, and increase the number of trains which are not sufficient for the time being,” he was quoted as saying on the “Jendela Fikir: Membina Pengangkutan Public Bersama” broadcast by Bernama Radio.
Azharuddin said the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the global supply chain, and Prasarana was no exception.
He said replacement equipment needed for trains on the Kelana Jaya LRT Line, which often had service disruptions, was also affected due to the order being sent late to the operator.
“Currently, the issue we are facing is the service that needs to be upgraded, and the supply of spare parts,” he elaborated.
“Our order for train replacements at the beginning of last year could not be delivered at the appointed time in Aug 2022 but will only arrive in May.”
Azharuddin said the 25-year-old LRT service should have been fully maintained in the last three or four years, but only the Ampang Line was improved and not the Kelana Jaya Line.
“I admit that there have been weaknesses from the maintenance aspect of the Kelana Jaya Line over the past three or four years, but I have obtained permission from the board of directors and the finance ministry to upgrade the route as soon as possible,” he remarked.
Azharuddin further noted that Prasarana had been making efforts to increase the number of commuters on its public transport services as it had still not reached the pre-pandemic level.
Last year, the daily average was 720,000 commuters, comprising 520,000 using the rail service and 200,000 who took the bus service.
“The number of daily commuters before the pandemic was about 1.2 million,” Azharuddin revealed.
“With the improvements currently under way, both for the rail or bus services, we expect to increase the number of commuters to what it was before the pandemic.” – Jan 9, 2023
Main pic credit: The Star
