RapidKL monorail service to stop on Apr 12-13

By Elvina Fernandez | news@nst,com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The RapidKL monorail service will be temporarily stopped on April12 and 13 to facilitate the upgrading of its signalling system.

Commencing 12.01am on April 12 until 4am on April 14, the upgrading of the signalling system will involve a 52-hour non-stop trial operation and service is expected to resume at 6am on April 14.

Rapid Rail Chief Executive Officer Haji Khairani Mohamed said special shuttle bus services would be deployed near the monorail stations to allow commuters to travel to the destinations along the monorail line seamlessly with a flat fare of RM1 for each trip.

"We wish to record our sincere apologies to our commuters for the inconvenience caused,” he said, adding that the current system has been in operations since 2003 when it was operated by KL Infra Sdn Bhd.

He added that the 52-hour closure was necessary to allow uninterrupted testing of the new signalling system.

Taken over by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) in 2007, the government-owned company undertook the KL Monorail Fleet Expansion Project in 2011, a major project that includes the procurement of 12 new four-car trains, upgrading of the monorail stations, construction of a new depot, and the upgrading of the signalling system.

“The new signalling system would provide state-of-art features to enhance our services,” added Khairani, who is also Group Director for the Rail Division of Prasarana, the holding company of Rapid Rail.

He said the any inconvenience to the public was aimed to be minimised and that commuters can get travel updates at the RapidKL official website at www.myrapid.com.my or at the RapidKL Facebook page or through the RapidKL twitter with the handler @MyRapidKL.

"We will be making announcements from time to time through various channels to advise our commuters and members of the public on alternative public transport services, including the shuttle bus service."

Meanwhile, it was revealed that monorail passengers will be able to travel more comfortably with 12 new train sets expected to be out on track in the third quarter this year.

The new four car trains will increase passengers per train from 214 to 430 passengers during peak hours and address the current problem of crowding in the Monorail Line, which is currently managing an average daily ridership of 72,000 passengers.

Apart from larger capacity, the new trains are also fitted with better safety features including open-door window, on-board close circuit TVs and ‘run-flat’ features, which allow the trains to continue moving despite a puncture.