Budget 2027 should focus on improving Klang Valley LRT and MRT reliability before funding new rail lines, MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung says.
PETALING JAYA: Budget 2027 should prioritise improving the reliability of existing LRT and MRT services in the Klang Valley before funds are committed to new rail lines, said MCA Youth.
Its secretary-general Saw Yee Fung said Prasarana’s Comprehensive Recovery Action Plan, submitted to the Transport Ministry in March, should be reviewed, with the government providing clear updates on measures implemented and outstanding risks.
“The repeated disruptions are eroding public confidence in a system Malaysians depend on every day,” she said in a statement.
A disruption on the Kelana Jaya LRT Line on Thursday caused crowding at stations, following incidents affecting LRT and MRT services on Wednesday and a signalling failure on the Kelana Jaya Line on Sept 15.
The problems followed a series of interruptions earlier this year that prompted Transport Minister Anthony Loke to order an investigation by the Land Public Transport Agency in February and direct Prasarana to submit an immediate recovery plan.
Prasarana subsequently submitted the comprehensive plan to the ministry in March.
Saw said Prasarana’s rail network recorded 31 service disruptions in 2025, down from 71 in 2024 and 252 in 2022.
Of last year’s total, 16 occurred on the Kelana Jaya Line.
A disruption is defined as a train remaining stationary at a station for more than five minutes and causing knock-on effects on subsequent services.
“Six months on, clarity is still lacking. How much of the plan has been implemented? Which critical components have been replaced? What risks remain, and when will the next phase be completed?” she said.
The government allocated RM1 billion under Budget 2026 to acquire 26 new train sets for the Kelana Jaya Line, with deliveries expected to begin progressively from 2028.
Saw welcomed the allocation but said interim measures were needed while the existing fleet underwent maintenance and overhauls.
For Budget 2027, she proposed a Public Transport Reliability Improvement Plan covering the overhaul and replacement of ageing trains and critical components.
The plan should also expand preventive and predictive maintenance, ensure sufficient spare parts and standby trains, and strengthen peak-hour contingency measures, including replacement buses and crowd management.
Saw also called for the publication of performance data, including breakdowns, their causes, mean kilometres between failures and progress on the recovery plan.
Prasarana is carrying out track replacement works on the Kelana Jaya Line in seven phases from September this year to September 2027, with services adjusted during scheduled maintenance periods.
“Every breakdown can mean workers arriving late, students missing classes or examinations, and businesses losing productive time.
“Budget 2027 must ensure that the trains Malaysians depend on today are maintained and kept running reliably, even as the government invests in expanding the rail network.”
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