Rapid Rail Awaits 19 New Trains and Parts To Improve Train Interval Time By 2024

Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd (Rapid Rail) the operators of our LRT, MRT and Monorail lines recently dropped a release to keep the general public up-to-date on what's happening on their front in terms of improvement being done to better their service and offerings to the people that matter - you. 

Lets breakdown all the ongoing works that are planned and in-works to improve the level of service quality for your convenience. 

Kelana Jaya Line LRT (KJLRT) service

The KJLRT which has been operational since 1998, believe it or not hence it would be undergoing some improvement processes. Currently during weekday peak hours, KJLRT operates at a frequency of 5 minutes and 7 minutes during off-peak times. 

However, keeping to this schedule is proving to be difficult due to the limited number of operational trains as Rapid Rail is facing a backlog on parts that have been ordered such as the “tachometers”. The tachometer is a crucial component in the trains as it sends information to the train control system to control the speed, position and direction of the train.

The tachometers which were ordered back in May 2022 from Europe which was to be received in December 2022 are now delayed to May 2023. However Rapid Rail is pursuing this matter by trying to request for expedited supply. Once this component is in-hand and fixed the KJLRT line can be back to its actual interval schedule of 3 minutes hopefully by September 2023. 

New Train for KJLRT

Based on the Kuala Lumpur Additional Vehicles 27 (KLAV27) project, Rapid Rail is in the process of receiving 19 new 4-car trains to be deployed on the KJLRT line. These new trains would be delivered in stages from June 2023 upto December 2024 and would replace some of the ageing 2-car trains that have been operational since 1998.

Kajang Line MRT (KMRT) Service

The KMRT currently is serviced by a 26 train setup with a frequency of 6 minutes during peak hours and 10 minutes during off-peak hours on weekdays. This is also due to the reduction in the number of trains but for an entirely different reason. In the case of KMRT, the decommissioned trains are due to worn out wheels. Rapid Rail has already put an order for 1040 new wheels to replace the worn out ones which it will receive in stages.

This wheel replacement exercise began last June and is expected to be completed by August 2023. Once completed, the frequency is expected to return to the usual 4 minute interval between trains. 

Extension of Peak Hours

The Rapid Rail holding entity Prasarana, has also been receiving user feedback with regards to operating time schedule. Therefore beginning 25th October, the peak hours duration has been extended to 7am-9.30am and 5pm-7.30pm. This extension coincides with the increased frequency of Rapid Bus services for user convenience.  

With all these ongoing improvements, Rapid Rail hopes to improve their offerings to their users in terms of service reliability in the Klang Valley. They too welcome any feedback from the users with regards service improvement suggestions which can be directed to them via email to [email protected].