KUALA LUMPUR: RAPIDKL’s first refurbished LRT train rolled into service on Wednesday, sporting brighter colours, striking decals and new features, including infotainment screens.
Prasarana Malaysia Bhd’s infrastructure development division group director Amiruddin Ma’aris said the refurbished two-car trains for the Kelana Jaya LRT Line would project a vibrant and dynamic image, in line with the 10th anniversary of RapidKL this year.
“There’s plenty in store for our customers, beginning with the introduction of our first refurbished two-car LRT train and, of course, the new four-car monorail trains which are coming into service soon,” he said in a statement.
Brightly-lit by LED headlights, the trains have been fitted with LED infotainment screens, newly-designed seats for comfort, and split windows that allow for emergency ventilation.
The trains have served the Kelana Jaya line since 1998, when the Putra LRT line was first operational. Putra LRT was taken over by Prasarana in 2002 along with the trains and assets of STAR LRT.
Amiruddin said the refurbished trains would be fitted with closed-circuit TV cameras for passengers’ safety and LED dynamic route maps in the near future.
He said the map would include 12 new stations currently under construction as part of the LRT Line Extension Project (LEP).
“In total, we are looking at the refurbishment exercise of 12 sets of two-car trains under the Mid-Life Refurbishment (MLR) project.
“The rest of the train sets will be coming in stages with the second set expected to enter service in November,” said Amiruddin, who is also Prasarana Integrated Management and Engineering Services Sdn Bhd (Prime) chief executive officer.
Under the MLR project, he said, Prasarana would also be working to couple 22 sets of existing two-car trains into 11 sets of walk-through four-car trains — the first such effort to be carried out in Malaysia.
The four-car trains would undergo identical refurbishment works, including a new coat of paint and new decals.
All refurbishment works were carried out at the RapidKL Kelana Jaya Line depot in Subang.
Amiruddin said Prime, a strategic business unit established last year, would bring in 14 new sets of four-car trains for the Kelana Jaya line under the LEP, which would further enhance Prasarana’s position as the country’s largest public transport operator.
The 14 sets, he said, would be supplied by Canada-based firm Bombardier and were scheduled to arrive in the second quarter of 2016.
Prasarana will also be bringing in 50 sets of new six-car trains for the Ampang LRT line. The first set is scheduled to be delivered from Zhuzhou, China, by the end of November.
They will be introduced when the first phase of the extended Ampang line commences operations in October next year, with the opening of the first four stations — Awan Besar, Muhibbah, Alam Sutera and Kinrara BK5.
“As you can see, we are in for a very busy period from now on. There’s a hive of activity here as we continue with efforts and initiatives to transform the country’s public transport system and bringing transport convenience and comfort closer to the people,” said Amiruddin.