PUTRAJAYA: In the wake of yet another major Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) cargo train derailment in KL that disrupted the country's train services yesterday, the Transport Ministry wants a thorough investigation to be carried out to determine the cause of the problem.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said he viewed the KTMB frequent derailment issue seriously as it caused major inconvenience to the public.
He also described it as "a big blow" to the country's train service system.
The government has set up a multi-agency safety investigation committee to carry out a detailed investigation on the issue.
The investigation committee will be led by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
"We are actually in the midst of encouraging KTMB to carry more cargo which is in line with our effort in reducing heavy vehicles on the road. But the recent derailment incidents for the past months is rather disappointing.
"Hence I have instructed a thorough investigation to be carried out by both KTMB and SPAD to determine the root cause of the latest derailment incident that caused the closure of the tracks for several days," Liow told reporters after launching marine insurance provider, Quantum Ivory's iCargo+ insurance package this evening.
He assured that the findings would be made public and corrective measures will be taken to rectify the problem.
On the proposed National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB), Liow said the Cabinet has already approved the setting up of the board and various agencies are amidst gathering input for the its Act to be drafted and passed in the Parliament.