PETALING JAYA: Prasarana Malaysia Bhd (Prasarana) is intensifying efforts to improve Light Rail Transit (LRT) service reliability through round-the-clock maintenance, closer engagement with suppliers and the introduction of 26 new train sets for the Kelana Jaya Line.
The measures form part of the rail operator’s efforts to address technical challenges affecting train operations while improving service reliability and the passenger experience.
Prasarana acting president and group chief executive officer Dr Prodyut Dutt acknowledged that the Kelana Jaya Line had faced greater reliability challenges this year.
From January to August this year, the Kelana Jaya Line recorded one incident for every 749 kilometres (km) travelled, compared with one incident for every 1,066 km during the same period last year.
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“There is no denying the fact that we are having more incidents this year than we had last year. On the Kelana Jaya Line, that represents a deterioration of about 30 per cent,” he told Bernama recently.
In contrast, the Ampang Line and Monorail recorded performance improvements of 20 and 80 per cent, respectively.
Dutt emphasised that prioritising the Kelana Jaya Line was crucial, as it carries the highest passenger volume, at 290,000 daily.
He revealed that 90 per cent of disruptions on the Kelana Jaya Line stemmed from rolling stock issues, with two-thirds triggered by the automated Emergency Braking (EB) safety system.
The EB system activates automatically when onboard tachometer sensors, which monitor the speed of a train’s wheels, detect speed discrepancies exceeding five per cent. Cable wear and track vibrations can affect the sensors and contribute to these discrepancies.
Dutt said the issue was linked to the operating characteristics of the line’s Linear Induction Motor (LIM) system, which has been in service since 1998.
“The design characteristic of a LIM system is that the braking is naturally very hard. Overseas operators using the same system, such as in Vancouver, face the same issues with tachometers and emergency braking,” he said.
However, Dutt clarified that converting or replacing the LIM system entirely was not feasible, as doing so would require the replacement of the entire power supply, signalling, trackwork and civil infrastructure. Prasarana would therefore have to operate within the existing design parameters.
On fleet condition, he said the Kelana Jaya Line operated 74 trains across three generations, including 26 first-generation four-car train units that had been in service for more than 17 years.
An assessment found that overhauling trains aged 15 years would cost almost 90 per cent of the price of a new unit, prompting Prasarana to order 26 new train sets worth more than RM1 billion from Chinese manufacturer CRRC Corporation Limited.
The first new trains are scheduled to arrive in March 2029, with two sets expected to be delivered each month thereafter.
While the new fleet will support long-term improvements, Dutt said Prasarana was also implementing interim measures and engineering interventions to enhance operational stability before the new trains arrive.
“That is why we are aggressively implementing interim measures and engineering interventions to stabilise operations,” he said.
Prasarana has also worked with CRRC to refine the braking profile of the new trains during the Final Design Review, with the aim of ensuring smoother deceleration and improving passenger comfort.
To manage immediate operational pressures, Prasarana has mobilised round-the-clock maintenance operations across its depots and specialised workshops to inspect, service and rectify train systems continuously.
During a recent visit to its facilities, Bernama was given a first-hand look at these operations, including intensive maintenance work in the electrical, door system and main repair workshops.
However, Dutt said global supply chain bottlenecks remained a challenge, with critical components such as tachometers facing lead times of eight to 12 months. This had prompted senior engineering teams to meet suppliers directly to expedite orders.
“Cost is not the issue because the government has been very supportive through government guarantees and approved five-year funding programmes. Our main challenge is the lead time for spare parts,” Dutt said.
He added that a major overhaul of the train bogies — the heavy undercarriage structures that house the wheels, suspension and braking systems — on the nine-year-old third-generation trains was scheduled to begin in June or July next year.
To minimise the impact on passengers during service disruptions, Prasarana is refining its contingency measures by introducing train turnbacks at selected locations to reduce congestion at key stations, isolating affected track sections, operating shuttle loops and deploying feeder buses.
Dutt also said passenger communication was being strengthened through direct, one-way WhatsApp broadcast alerts for registered users. Meanwhile, the presence of Auxiliary Police personnel, station officers and Prasarana Troopers was being increased on station platforms and in concourses to improve passenger flow management.