KUALA LUMPUR – Scores of MRT passengers were left fuming during their morning commute as the Kajang and Putrajaya lines were plagued by technical issues, taking longer than expected to reach each of the stations.
At 7.33am, rail operator RapidKL tweeted that the Kajang MRT had to be driven manually from Phileo Damansara to Pusat Bandar Damansara, resulting in a slower ride and longer stops at the respective stations.
At 6.42am, RapidKL said the Putrajaya MRT had to be driven manually due to a switch malfunction. Similarly, the train was slower than normal and stopped a lot longer at Kwasa Damansara, Kg Selamat, and Sg Buloh stations.
Meanwhile, commuters took to social media to vent as they were going to be late for work due to the morning downpour, compounded by the slow MRT service.
One commuter, known as Jasheela Nair, took RapidKL to task, demanding updates as she was stuck in the train.
“What is the progress?? We are late to work!! Are you giving compensation for this?? So easy for you guys to say technical issues!!”
Another X (formerly Twitter) user known as Azim Maksum was complaining about the Maluri station’s air-conditioning, saying it was not in order. However, he was told by RapidKL that it was functioning properly.
User Bibi Hannii also questioned the rail operator about providing alternatives other than manually driving the train.
“Okay, like, we know you have technical issues, but can’t you guys come up with other alternatives than manually driving the train? Like, it doesn’t make sense that we have to go through this almost every week. Mesti ada solusi lain.. (There must be other solutions).”
As for user Chris Tan, he said resolving such technical issues should be made a priority.
“How are you going to reduce the traffic if you don’t have consistent public transport? Don’t focus on useless things like having female coaches, focus back on what public transport is supposed to do. Such a failure.”
Some of the affected commuters also tagged Transport Minister Anthony Loke in hopes that he could help prevent such issues from recurring. – October 17, 2023