THE damage to the viaduct and pier structure on the Ampang LRT line between the Bandaraya and Masjid Jamek stations will take up to seven months to be repaired, starting next month, Anthony Loke said.

The transport minister said the damage was a result of ground movement believed to have been caused by the construction site nearby the line.

“This period comprises two months of temporary repair works to strengthen the structure and five months of comprehensive repair works.

“These works will take time as investigations showed that the structural damages posed serious safety risks,” he told reporters in Parliament.

Service between both stations were suspended earlier this year following the discovery of the damage on the line.

This affected nearly 160,000 daily commuters heading to Kuala Lumpur’s central business district.

RapidKL has provided free bus service to the commuters between the affected stations. 

Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd and the Land Public Transport Agency said preliminary checks found the LRT service interruption was caused by damage to the elevated structure carrying the rail tracks, due to construction work adjacent to the area. 

Kuala Lumpur City Hall has issued a stop-work order to the construction of the 44-storey Soho Tower project.

Loke today presented the findings of the investigations into the disruption of service on the Ampang LRT line.

He said the process of appointing a contractor to do the remedial work was now underway.

In the meantime, he said, the alternative arrangement for commuters that was put in place last month would remain. – February 22, 2023.