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TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke has acknowledged growing public frustration over repeated technical disruptions affecting Malaysia’s urban rail services, saying the matter has been escalated to operator Prasarana as the government continues to promote greater use of public transport.
He admitted that frequent service interruptions in recent weeks have been a concern, particularly as authorities encourage commuters to shift away from private vehicles.
“There are challenges… it is true that in the past few weeks (there have been frequent rail service disruptions), I am also frustrated that every week there are disruptions.
“When we want to encourage the public (to use rail services), I know the public response will be – the Minister tells us to take the train but there are disruptions every day,” he said at a press conference held in conjunction with the Rail Usage Campaign to Address Rising Fuel Costs today.
Loke said the government is working to reduce such disruptions but acknowledged that some incidents are unavoidable, particularly those involving sudden equipment failures.
“We are paying attention to signalling systems, trains and so on, then suddenly a switch breaks down. A broken switch causes the station to not function properly.
“So this has caused disruptions to trains yesterday. This is indeed a major challenge for us,” he said.
He said the issues, including signalling systems and station equipment, require constant monitoring, but unexpected faults continue to pose operational challenges.
The minister added that the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) had previously been instructed to investigate repeated disruptions involving the Kelana Jaya LRT line, while Prasarana’s chief executive officer was also directed to provide explanations and a recovery plan in post-Cabinet meetings.
Alongside addressing service reliability concerns, the government has announced a new rail-focused relief package aimed at easing commuting costs and encouraging greater public transport use.
Under the initiative, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will offer a 30 per cent discount on Electric Train Service (ETS) tickets across all routes, as well as reduced fares for the Ekspres Rakyat Timuran service between Johor Bahru Sentral and Tumpat.
“The discount applies for travel from Monday to Thursday, excluding school holidays and public holidays, in a move aimed at managing demand while promoting more consistent ridership.
“Passengers will need to use a promotional code, to be released by KTMB, for bookings made between April 15 and April 30, with travel valid until October 14, 2026,” he said.
The discounts will not apply to ETS business class tickets, first-class or sleeper services, or concession fare holders.
Separately, Express Rail Link (ERL) will introduce targeted monthly passes offering savings of up to 90 per cent, including the MyPutrajaya pass for civil servants living or working in Putrajaya and the MyKLIA pass for Malaysian workers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“Both passes provide unlimited travel within the validity period, significantly reducing commuting costs for frequent users.
“The combined measures reflect a broader strategy to strengthen rail as a primary mode of transport, helping Malaysians manage expenses while supporting a more sustainable and efficient public transport system,” Loke said.
He added that commuters are encouraged to plan ahead and take advantage of the incentives under the campaign. - April 14, 2026
