LRT Commuters To Enjoy Free Rides For 7 Days As Trains Resume Service
My50 card users will receive seven days of compensation when they renew their cards.
By Jasmine Chea — 14 Nov 2022, 12:02 PM
Last week, 9 November, Rapid KL announced that its Light Transit Rail (LRT) trains would not be operating at 16 stations for five days, starting from Wednesday, 9 November until next Tuesday, 15 November
The announcement came after trains along the Kelana Jaya route experienced technical difficulties earlier in the week, once on Monday, 7 November and again on Tuesday, 8 November, which caused many passengers to seek alternative modes of transportation.
These were the 16 stations that were affected:
Rapid KL attributed the cause of the issue to a faulty Automated Train Control (ATC) system and flew in experts from Turkiye and Canada to help address the matter.
Caretaker Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has issued an apology to passengers who were affected by the disruption.
Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (second from left) and Prasarana group CEO and president Azharuddin Mat Sah (far left) in a meeting with experts from Rapid KL, Turkiye, and Canada to address the LRT train disruptions.
Image via 魏家祥 (Facebook)However, Rapid KL made an early announcement yesterday, 13 November, and informed commuters that all stations following the Kelana Jaya route will be up and running again the next day at 6am, 14 November
According to Rapid KL, the trains have gone through extensive testing by experts from Rapid KL and the original equipment manufacturer, Thales Group, and have been given the green light to begin operations again by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).
Prasarana group CEO and president Azharuddin Mat Sah issued a statement saying, "We would like to stress that the decision (to halt services) was made in the interests of the safety of passengers.
"We hope the full reopening of the line ahead of schedule will ease the problems faced by commuters."
In addition to the early reopening, LRT passengers will be enjoying free LRT rides for the next seven days
Users of the My50 card will also receive a seven-day compensation on their cards. The compensation will only be credited into their cards upon its renewal from 21 November to 20 December.
"My50 users whose cards expire between [14 November to 20 November] can still use the card without charge but they must ensure that the cards have a minimum balance of RM5.
"Touch 'n Go card users on the Kelana Jaya line can use the card as usual without charge during the period provided that the destination begins and ends at any of the stations on the line," the company announced.
Other commuters will be provided with special one-way tokens available at customer service offices, which can be used as long as they are travelling along the LRT line.
It was a frustrating time for LRT commuters and many Malaysians aired their complaints on social media:
