SUBANG JAYA, Oct 25 — The disruption on the Putrajaya LRT line, which led to manual service operations today, is suspected to have been caused by the theft of communication and signalling cables.
Prasarana Malaysia Bhd group president and chief executive officer Amir Hamdan said the company’s technical team and experts from the original equipment manufacturers are performing comprehensive repairs and restoration to stabilise operations as soon as possible.
“The system is still in an ‘intermittent’ state and has not been fully repaired. Operations are being carried out manually with 18 trains operating, in addition to 40 free shuttle buses provided to connect stations along the MRT Putrajaya line,” he said.
Amir said the company will continue to provide updates on the progress of the restoration works to help commuters plan their journeys more effectively over the next two days.
He said the cable theft, which affected the line’s operations, was detected in Taman Desa, and is being investigated with police.
“This year alone, we have recorded almost 50 incidents of cable theft, an increase of about 100 per cent from last year. This is worrying because it involves risks to safety and operational stability.
“Cable theft not only affects the rail operation system, but also other service operators facing similar issues,” he said.
He said the matter has been brought to the government’s attention for consideration of tightening laws regarding theft of public infrastructure assets.
Meanwhile, ahead of the 47th Asean Summit tomorrow, Amir advised public transport users to plan their journeys and use alternative routes as announced by Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd.
