On 28 January, Rapid Rail decided to close the route between the Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations for safety reasons. Just today (February 22), Anthony Loke confirmed that the route will not be reopened for at least another 7 months for structural repair works.
In his Facebook post and press conference today, Anthony said Prasarana Bhd is in the process of hiring contractors to carry out the work, which is expected to begin somewhere in March.
Following an investigation, Anthony revealed that he has discovered something shocking.
“Investigations found that 3 viaduct structures and piers were cracked, believed to be caused by construction of a 44-storey hotel nearby.”
The damages were caused by the “ground movement” from the construction work. He added that the construction project did not obtain the approval of the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD). The 7-month period covers 2 months of temporary repairs and 5 months for comprehensive repairs.
He also said that as long as they are no greenlights from the consultants, the affected stations on the LRT Ampang line will NOT be reopened.
To those of you who commute within the line, Anthony said that the shuttle services & alternate bus services, which were introduced back on 27 January will be continued to ease the travel of the users.
In the meantime, when the Putrajaya Line MRT service is fully opened, users of the Ampang/Sri Petaling Line LRT will have an alternative to go to the city centre through interchange stations such as Chan Sow Lin, Titiwangsa and Sg Besi.
Possibility of legal actions
In a report by Astro Awani, Anthony said that after thorough investigations are completed, they will see if legal actions will be taken. This is because the cost of repairs will be fully paid by Prasarana Bhd, and he explained why he is not taking legal action now.
“Legal action will take a long time to complete, but the repair work has to be done right now. Many will complain about the closure but I have to take on the pressure for the sake of the safety of the users.”
Hopefully, the repair work will proceed smoothly so that the operation can resume regularly.
Also read: Anthony Loke Says He Puts Himself in the Shoes of Public Transport Users to Understand the Issues
This post first appeared on WORLD OF BUZZ.