PETALING JAYA: Some 12,000 Light Rail Transit (LRT) passengers were stranded yesterday after a train on the Kelana Jaya line broke down at 8.16am at the Taman Jaya station.
Nur Farrahin, who was heading towards KLCC, said the delay caused her to be 40 minutes late for work, adding that her journey from Ara Damansara usually takes only 20 minutes.
She said the train stopped suddenly at the Asia Jaya station and returned to Taman Paramount, which was the earlier station.
“I arrived at Taman Paramount at about 8.50am. The station was cramped and packed with people from four trains that had stopped there.
“We were forced to vacate our train and were stranded there for some 40 minutes. Both platforms heading towards Gombak and Putra Heights were crowded,” she told theSun.
Farrahin said the display that usually shows the estimated arrival time of the next train kept changing between three and nine minutes, before the screen went blank.
She said there was an announcement made at the station, but it was unclear and passengers could not hear what information was being provided.
“We only saw one Rapid KL staff at the station asking passengers to step out from the trains that had stopped. He did not have a sound amplification device such as a microphone or loud hailer and was only shouting. People were not quite clear about what he was saying.”
Another passenger, who wanted to be known only as Farra, said passengers were told to alight without any explanation. She said after they disembarked, faint white smoke was seen emitting from the roof of one of the cabins.
“Passengers were asked to step away from the train and it remained there for about 30 minutes. We were told to get off the platform because they decided to close it. We then moved to the opposite platform.
“When we boarded the train headed for Putra Heights, it moved in the opposite direction and headed towards the Gombak station instead. There was no announcement stating the change in direction. So, I was forced to get off and change trains again,” she said.
Passenger Afiqah Muhammad said she had to change trains five times, only to end up taking emergency leave since no trains were available for her to commute to her office near the Bangsar LRT station.
“No trains were travelling to my workplace as only those going to Putra Heights were available at the time. After almost two hours of changing trains, I gave up after travelling on my fifth train, cancelled all my meetings and returned home.”
Afiqah said passengers were frustrated and angry as they had paid for the services, adding that technical problems on the LRT occurred frequently, especially during peak hours.
In a statement, Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd said the train was stranded at the Taman Jaya LRT station due to a brake system problem. Its chief executive officer Amir Hamdan issued a separate statement apologising to commuters who were inconvenienced by the incident.
“An investigation will be conducted to identify the cause of the problem to ensure such incidents can be avoided in future.”
He added that a one-way travel coupon will be given to those affected by the disruption.
Passengers can claim the coupons from any RapidKL counter within the next five days, without any need to provide proof that they were among those affected.
