Thousands stuck after train derails in KL (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of commuters were either stranded or faced delays getting to work and appointments today following the derailment of a goods train early today.
With the year-end school holidays starting tomorrow, more travellers are expected to be hit.
Twelve wagons of the train heading south derailed between the Bank Negara and Kuala Lumpur railway stations at 2.58am, disrupting train services on the line connecting the Segambut, Putra, Bank Negara and Kuala Lumpur stations.
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) in a statement today said work to repair the damaged tracks will take an estimated three days.
KTM users were in a fluster today when announcements were made that their trains would be delayed.
Geraldine Dutton, 29, who works in the city and takes her daily commute from the Petaling Komuter station to the Kuala Lumpur station said she was shocked when she reached the station and was told that the train would end its trip at the KL Sentral station.
"I was worried that I would be late for work so I decided not to take the train and use a ride-hailing service which cost me 10 times more than what I would've paid for the train ride ... due to the rush hour traffic jam, I was late to work by 40 minutes," she said.
Another user, who wanted to be known as Kamini, said she takes the train from the Batu Tiga Komuter station to the Kuala Lumpur station daily but was late for work by an hour today.
"I usually take the train at 7.30am but today the train showed up at around 8.30am and I was told that the train was not going to my station," she said.
In desperation, she had to take the LRT from Subang to the city and was delayed to work.
However, KTMB was also commended for its handling of the situation.
Lim Eng Gee, 56, who took the Electric Train Service (ETS) from Butterworth to KL Sentral at 10am, said an announcement was made to the passengers that they would have to disembark at the Sungai Buloh KTM station and take the MRT service to KL Sentral.
"I was shocked it happened because I am a frequent user of the ETS, it has always been efficient and on time," said Lim who regularly comes to KL to visit his family in Petaling Jaya.
"I commend KTMB for taking measures in ensuring that we got to our station on time," he said.
A KTM spokesman said it would definitely take three days to get services up and running again and he added that more disruptions can be expected.
He said the Tanjung Malim-Port Klang KTM Komuter service would operate from the Tanjung Malim station to the Kepong station and from the KL Sentral station to the Port Klang station.
"There will be no komuter train service between the Kepong station and the KL Sentral station. Buses will be provided for passengers between the Segambut and KL Sentral stations," he added.
The komuter train service from the Batu Caves station would run only up to the Sentul station and buses would ferry passengers from there to the KL Sentral station. Passengers can continue their journey from the KL Sentral station.
Meanwhile, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) has instructed KTMB to suspend its cargo services along the Rawang–Salak Selatan stretch until the investigation into its latest derailment incident is completed.
In a statement, the commission said the latest incident was unacceptable and had asked that KTMB expedite the investigation and furnish a full account of the incident to determine the exact cause of the derailment.
“The commission takes a serious view of the latest derailment as it has disrupted the travel plans for thousands of commuters relying on the KTM network.
“For that, the commission has asked KTMB to refund the affected passengers who wish to discontinue their journeys while reimbursing those who had to incur additional charges for the MRT and bus services due to the derailment,” the commission said in a statement today.

The commission said that they will not hesitate to take stern actions including financial penalty in the event of KTMB is found negligent.