SUBANG JAYA: Effective Jan 2, Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd will implement the double loop operation plan for its Kelana Jaya Light Rail Transit (LRT) line during peak hours on weekdays.
The double loop operation will see trains from Gombak heading towards Putra Heights turning around at the Ara Damansara LRT station between 7am and 9am.
Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd chief executive chief officer Khairani Mohamed said the move was to address the high density of ridership of the Kelana Jaya line, particularly between the Kelana Jaya and Universiti stations as well as between the Gombak station and the Damai station.
The new system is expected to cut travel time and reduce passenger congestion during peak hours.
“Using the double loop, every third train from Gombak will turnaround at Ara Damansara with a total of seven trains during the period.
“Passengers heading to Putra Heights will have to disembark at the Ara Damansara station and wait for the next train,” he said, during a media briefing session for the 2019 Kelana Jaya line operation plans today.
He said the new double loop operation was also in anticipation of the RM100 unlimited 30-day travel pass that can be used on LRT, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), monorel, Rapid KL buses, transit buses and MRT feeder bus services.
He said current daily ridership for the LRT Kelana Jaya line stood at 290,000 passengers on weekdays.
“Over the last five years, we have recorded a steady increase between four to five per cent yearly for our Kelana Jaya line.
“Hence, with the introduction of the 30-day unlimited pass, we expect ridership to increase."
Meanwhile on the RM100 travel pass, Khairani said some 20,000 users have subscribed for the pass.
In the 2019 Budget announcement, the government had announced the unlimited travel pass initiative with an allocation of RM240 million, which is in line with the current administration’s move to boost public transport usage.