The government has decided not to suspend the KLIA Aerotrain service for now, despite a string of embarrassing breakdowns since its relaunch in July, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke said the ministry, through the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD), has started taking action against Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to send a clear message that poor service even from government-linked companies won’t be tolerated.
“Regarding the move to halt the aerotrain service, we have yet to consider doing so. This is as we have started taking action against MAHB
“MAHB must hold the contractor accountable for these breakdowns. Why couldn’t they deliver the quality of service expected of them, especially since this service is still new?” ” he told Parliament.
Loke also confirmed that MAHB has been asked to ensure the train’s original equipment manufacturer guarantees better reliability.
“Yes, there are service disruptions, and we are asking MAHB to ensure that the original equipment manufacturer will provide a guarantee that they will provide the best service
For the last three months, they did not have any issue for 99% of the time,” he said.
The latest breakdown on Tuesday left passengers stranded and walking along the tracks in the dark, prompting fresh public outrage. APAD has since opened an investigation into MAHB’s handling of the service.
Meanwhile, transport think tank MY Mobility Vision has called for greater transparency and accountability over the Aerotrain project, saying more than 20 incidents in four months suggest problems beyond just technical glitches.
“This is now a governance stress test,” said its chief strategy officer, Rahman Hussin, who urged the ministry to disclose key testing data, fault-free trial results, and reliability benchmarks to help the public understand what went wrong.
He added that such disclosures should become the norm, not the exception, to rebuild public trust. Rahman also called for APAD to be turned into a semi-autonomous body that can act independently and publish its findings openly.
