KTM stations’ owner vows to fix faults, but says ‘huge process’ will take time
RAC says it first took over maintaining some facilities this year
Many of the equipment were past their service life
Previous station designs did not adequately incorporate accessibility features
KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) is already repairing KTM Komuter station facilities a public transport advocate identified as faulty.
The owner of the KTM Komuter stations assured commuters that the out-of-service equipment and remedial work would not disrupt service and operations.
“The repairs and replacements for Komuter railway station facilities involves a huge process and will need to be carried out in stages,” the RAC said in a statement to Malay Mail.
The RAC also explained issues affecting its maintenance of facilities at the KTM Komuter stations, which it first took over at the start of the year.
Among others, it said most of the equipment in stations along the KTM Komuter line have been in use for over 14 years, and now needed significant repairs and overhaul.
“Most of the units have been operating way beyond the intended life span and require major replacements,” it added.
RAC also acknowledged that not all of its stations had adequate toilet facilities for persons with disabilities (PwDs), saying this was a consequence of past designs used for their construction.
However, it pledged that work would be done to improve these where possible.
The RAC also clarified that not every point along the KTM Komuter line was a full-fledged station, and many are meant to be “halts” with intentionally limited facilities.
“Out of the listed ‘stations,’ 20 are halts and 37 are stations,” it said.
The RAC also pledged to continue with the maintenance and improvement of facilities mentioned, adding that it was open to feedback from users of its services.
“We believe in continuous and constructive feedback, where both elements are instrumental in ensuring that we can push ahead to improve the standard of railway stations for the benefit of all users.”
KTM Bhd, which operates the KTM Komuter stations, responded to the issue a day after Malay Mail reported, with RAC also responding today, just a day after.
KTMB said yesterday that most of the repairs should be completed today.
On Wednesday, Malay Mail reported about a public transportation advocate’s informal audit of all 59 KTM Komuter stations, during which he found nearly half of installed escalators to be not working.
He also said only 20 stations have toilets accessible to PwDs, with another 20 having no such facilities at all.
The X (formerly Twitter) user @slainthayer, who previously undertook a similar inspection on 40 MRT stations in 2022, which prompted operator Rapid KL to step up maintenance and communications about such facilities.
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