Take note, commuters on the LRT Ampang/Sri Petaling line. Rapid KL has announced that the train will be moving at a slow speed from Bandaraya to Masjid Jamek stations. This is for track maintenance works and will be in place from today (May 7) till May 10.
If you recall, the LRT track between Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations was reopened in February after being closed for more than one year, following damage to the bridge structure and the track near Bandaraya station.
With the reopening Rapid Rail is targeting average daily ridership on the LRT Ampang/Sri Petaling line to reach 200,000 by the end of 2024, compared to 155,000 during the track closure, which needed feeder buses to bridge the gap.
Train frequency during peak hours has been back to normal, with a waiting time of three minutes in the CBD (central business district) and six minutes outside of the CBD, with 37 trains in operation.
Here’s a recap and some background. The said stretch on the LRT Ampang/Sri Petaling line has been closed since January 27, 2023 for safety reasons following damage to the bridge structure and the track near Bandaraya station.
Repair works started on March 17 that year. The two phases were supporting the bridge at P163, P164 and P165, as well as returning the bridge structure to its original position. The rehabilitation works were completed on December 30, 2023, and checks and verification were done by consultant engineers. Tests and observations have been carried out from January 1 to 16 and the reopening of the track has been approved by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).
Why the slow down? Something wrong with the repair that took for ages to do and yet still got defects? Sounds like a Pakatan thing, fixing a problem by not fixing the problem.