Technical glitch causes rush hour LRT delays, thousands affected

KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of LRT commuters faced long lines and cramped trains this morning as a service disruption between the Gombak and Damai stations caused delays.

An official announcement via the PA system said commuters would have to wait longer than usual for trains, as they were moving more slowly than normal.

"We are currently facing technical difficulties. We will keep you updated. We are sorry for any inconvenience," the announcement went.

On its Twitter account @MyRapidKL, MYRapidKL revealed that a train had failed between the Sri Rampai and Setiawangsa stations.

“We have a train failure between Sri Rampai and Setiawangsa (which) is being cleared. Expect delay of 1 hour,” it said.

This was followed by another update informing of a delay in service between the Gombak and Setiawangsa stations.

“KJline update: Delayed service between Gombak to Setiawangsa station,” it said.

It also said that passengers were advised to seek alternatives modes of transport and that refunds would be made available.

A check at KL Sentral station showed long queues of commuters on the platform and at the foot of escalators leading to the platform.

Norimah Abdullah, 54, who travels daily to Bangsar station, said she was frustrated over waiting, but since it was only one stop away from her destination, KL Sentral, she was not that worried.

"I only found out about the situation when a colleague informed me at 7.50am. She had taken an earlier train,” she added.

Mohamad Khairul Izhar, 32, a clinic assistant in PJ, said he did not mind waiting, but this was really unexpected.

"I need to go to Universiti station. Hopefully the train arrives soon,” he said.

A project officer with Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia, Raja Nurul Hidayah, 30, said she had planned to reach work early today, but was delayed by the disruption.

"I took the train at Taman Melati at 7.15am, but only arrived around 8.20am. Usually, it takes me about half an hour to arrive at work,” she said.

The situation was much better at Bangsar station, with fewer commuters seen lining up.

A Twitter update at 8.34am by MYRapidKL said that the LRT was running an alternate train service

“KJ Line: We are running alternate train service now. Trains from Putra Heights will turn back at Setiawangsa. Follow updates”.

This was followed by another update at 8.44am, which said “KJ Line: Passengers are advised to listen to announcements on board the train and at station platforms for updates.”

The latest update showed that a bus is made available to ferry passengers.

“KJ Line : Rapid KL bus WWF 2843 is allocated to ferry passengers between Gombak & Setiwangsa. Follow updates.”