KUALA LUMPUR – Operating hours for LRT services at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium were not extended yesterday after British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s concert because of maintenance for the Ampang-Sri Petaling line which could not be postponed.
According to Malaysia Stadium Corp (PSM) and a source in the entertainment industry, Rapid Rail explained this in an email to both parties that it could not extend operating hours as it had to conduct scheduled preventive and corrective maintenance work.
The maintenance work followed an incident involving damage to the LRT line structures between the Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations in January last year, which had caused service disruptions between the two stations on the Sri Petaling line until the section’s reopening last week.
In a copy of the email sighted by Scoop, Rapid Rail acknowledged the request by the concert organisation and by PSM to extend operating hours, but said it could not make alterations to its schedules.
“We regret to inform you that we are unable to consider your request to extend operating hours, given that the (preventive and corrective works) have been planned and set in advance,” the email said.
“Any delay in the maintenance works will increase any possibility of service interruptions during operation in the future.
“Nonetheless, our side will ensure a smooth operation, especially at the Bukit Jalil LRT Station on Saturday, February 24, so that the passengers’ journey to and fro (the station) is smooth, until the end of operations at 11.30pm.”
Last night, Sheeran performed at the Bukit Jalil stadium for the Kuala Lumpur leg of his “+-=÷x” (The Mathematics) Asia Tour concert.
Concertgoers later complained on X about their difficulty getting on the LRT after the show due to congestion. In contrast, train services were extended until 1am after Coldplay performed at the same venue on November 22 last year.
“You already know there would be a concert with lots of attendance, then extend the operating hours,” user @zazikjan said.
“Did you think only three people came for Ed Sheeran’s concert?” user @anuaqqq questioned.
“They don’t want to extend (the operating hours). Biased, they only extend it for Blackpink and Coldplay,” user @nadddyyy__ complained. – February 25, 2024