ONE of the two automated people mover or aerotrain services at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is expected to be operable next year.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said his ministry has instructed Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to ensure that works to upgrade the aerotrain system are completed on schedule or earlier.

“The trains have reached the end of their lifespan, they have been in service for 25 years. The decision to replace the trains should have been made earlier, but due to the delay we have had to suspend the train service temporarily.

“We know this matter has given the country a negative image because KLIA is the gateway to the country. I have put pressure on MAHB so that it is implemented according to schedule,” he said during an oral question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this in his reply to a supplementary question from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (Kuala Krai-PN) about the government’s measures to overcome aerotrain service problems at KLIA which has an impact on tourist arrivals.

Loke said the aerotrain upgrading project is not under the purview of the Transport Ministry and is funded by MAHB. However, the problem must be rectified immediately to avoid a negative impact on public transport services at the country’s main entry point.

Replying to the original question from Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang-PH) regarding the plan to repair the light rail transit (LRT) system in the Klang Valley which often suffers damage, Loke said several steps have been carried out by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and Rapid Rail to improve the quality of the services.

“For the Ampang LRT line, overhaul work is being carried out on the train component system involving all 50 trains since October 2022 and this is expected to be completed in December 2027. On the Kelana Jaya line, the purchase of 19 new sets of four-car trains (KLAV27) will be received in stages from August this year.

“For the monorail, efforts are being made to complete two new monorail trains (RSV31 and RSV32) and repair on monorail train (RSV24) is expected to be fully completed in March 2025,” he said.

In addition, he said, the replacement of train wheels for the Kajang MRT line involving all 58 trains is expected to be fully completed in January 2025.

He also reminded public transport service operators to adopt a culture of maintenance according to the schedule and not only when the trains encounter problems. – Bernama, June 14, 2023.