KUALA LUMPUR – Trains on the week-old Putrajaya MRT line are running slower and being manually driven between the Kg Batu and Kentonmen stations, RapidKL said this evening.
It attributed the slower service to problems with the track switch.
“The train service is moving slower and has to stop for a longer time when approaching the Kg Batu station, due to a track-switch disruption,” RapidKL tweeted at around 6pm.
About 20 minutes later, it tweeted that trains were being driven manually between the two stations, and would also stop longer at the platform while repair works are underway.
Passengers needing help are urged to refer to the station master or auxiliary police on standby, it added.
RapidKL’s tweets on the slower service riled up a few Twitter users, who said thorough checks on the line should have been made before opening to the public on March 16.
One complained that the slower service was causing him a long wait at the Damansara Damai station, while others lamented that it was close to the time for the breaking of fast.
A Twitter user named Rafiq Razali said, “Come on lah, (I rode) the MRT to avoid (the) jam, but now (I) have to break fast on the MRT.”
One user named Emah Nawi called the situation “ridiculous”, given that the line has only recently opened.
“Just opened and got problems… it’s a waste of money.”
Another user named Atikah Razak said the MRT service should be improved, especially since it was the fasting month.
“People want to go home to break fast. But instead, there are all sorts of problems now.”
The new 57.7-km line was launched a week ago by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, connecting Kwasa Damansara and Putrajaya Sentral.
It has 36 stations, nine of which are underground, and 10 of which are interchange stations for passengers to transfer to the Light Rail Transit, Express Rail Link, and Komuter rail systems.
The system is fully automatic and driverless, but the trains can also be manually driven if necessary. – The Vibes, March 23, 2023
