"Still No Spare Parts?" – LRT Station Escalator Remains Broken After 5 Years
Rapid KL has since responded to the issue and clarified that the maintenance of the escalator does not fall under its jurisdiction.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 16 Nov 2021, 12:51 PM
A netizen's tweet complaining about a broken escalator at a LRT station recently went viral
In the post dated 9 November 2021, Ahmad Muzammil Idris quoted a tweet he published exactly five years ago, showing that the broken escalator at the Sri Rampai LRT station has not been fixed.
"I've been waiting for five years (the original tweet was exactly five years ago). The government has changed three times. Since 2016, this escalator still can't get its spare parts?" asked the commuter last Tuesday.
The new photo shows that the escalator and the staircase have gotten a fence upgrade, but the escalator in both photos is not functioning.
Muzammil's old tweet was posted on 9 November 2016. In it, he asked whether Rapid KL could fix the escalator.
"The escalator at Sri Rampai hasn't worked for a long time. Sorry for asking, can (you) really not repair it?" Muzammil said half a decade ago.
In response, Rapid KL said, "Hi @MuzamilIdris. Sorry for the inconvenience. We are currently waiting for spare parts to repair the escalator."
However, fast forward five years later, Rapid KL apologised for the misinformation it had made in the past, before clarifying that the maintenance of the escalator does not fall under its jurisdiction.
"After a review was made, we would like to clarify that this escalator is not under the maintenance of Rapid KL," the public transport company replied last Wednesday, 10 November.
"We advised you to submit your complaint to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), thank you."
Rapid KL then directed Muzammil to a complaint site by including a link to a DBKL webpage.
The company also posted a photo of a sign in front of the station that reads "Rapid KL maintenance limit".
Speaking to SAYS, Muzammil said the first photo in the 2016 tweet was taken during his internship
"I take the LRT during the weekdays," he told this SAYS writer in an email.
"I was still using the LRT up until before the pandemic. Then, now I am back in KL again right after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was lifted. So, the second picture from the [tweet] was exactly five years later from the first picture."
When asked how does he feel about the reply given by Rapid KL after half a decade, he said he felt that the matter has been "taken very lightly".
"Now that it [falls] under DBKL's jurisdiction, I really hope that DBKL will take this seriously and keep their promise to get it done before March 2022," Muzammil said.
"One thing is that, as much as DBKL has designated officers or enforcers that go out every morning to slap (people) with summons, they should also have some maintenance officers go around and check on wear and tear, malfunctioning machines, et cetera. This will reflect on their motto 'Ready to Contribute towards an Excellent City'."
Under Muzammil's recent viral tweet, many netizens shared similar accounts of broken escalators at LRT stations
Among the replies, one netizen said that throughout their time in university, the escalator at the Sri Rampai LRT station only functioned once.
"I entered uni in 2016 (and I) spent time a lot (sic) using the LRT station at Sri Rampai. The escalator operated only once and then never again. Then, I graduated (in) 2019, now (I'm) continuing my degree, and it's still not operating! What a country," wrote the Twitter user.
One person added in jest that, "Try calling a minister to drop by there, the escalator will definitely get fixed the next day."
Several netizens also sarcastically said that the escalator is actually a staircase in disguise.
