KUALA LUMPUR: A systemic upgrade on Rapid Rail's light rail transit (LRT) is underway following a probe report by the task force investigation committee on the collision involving two trains on May 24, which left 213 passengers injured.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said of the 23 recommendations presented to the Cabinet, five of them were short-term actions to be taken within the next three months.
They included deploying two hostlers (drivers) for manually-driven trains, with one of them acting as a Safety and Compliance Officer, during manual train operation within tunnels, and to upgrade work tools including high-powered lights for hostlers in carrying out their duties in low visibility environments, for example, inside the LRT tunnels.
"The government views this incident seriously and has directed the Transport Ministry to strictly ensure that every effort is taken to review and revamp safety procedures and operating guidelines in Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and (subsidiary) Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd's rail services and asset maintenance.
"The Cabinet meeting on June 9 accepted the investigation committee's recommendations to achieve these systemic improvements expeditiously and the ministry will audit the progress of these improvements periodically," he said in a virtual press conference today.
He said the committee's aim was to identify and recommend systemic improvements to both Prasarana, as well as Rapid Rail and its services.
He said particular attention was given to ensure that the entire rail service industry and infrastructure management will keep public safety as a paramount concern.
Other short-term measures recommendations by the committee were improving checklists used by hostlers and OCC during manual operation and in critical situations; setting up of a Sighting Committee to perform audits on track markers and the safety performance issues and improvements to be reported periodically to Prasarana and Rapid Rail senior management for review and monitoring.
For medium-term solutions, among the recommendations are a technical evaluation on the standard operating procedures (SOP) used for manual operation within tunnels and to undertake periodic audits; technical evaluations on communication systems to determine improvements needed and undertake periodic audits; improve SOP used in Operations Control Centre (OCC) and undertake periodic audits; and to review all SOP governing operations during normal, degraded and critical situations.
Others are management accountability improvements towards all SOPs, Emergency Response Plans and Safety procedures, improving communication plans for Prasarana and Rapid Rail SOPs to ensure they are understood by all levels of staff, as well as to review and revise operations rule book, OCC manuals, and hostler's manual.
In addition, the committee also recommended Job Safety Analysis on all personnel in Safety Critical Positions for competencies and knowledge; and undertake periodic audits, improving SOPs for energisation and de-energisation of tracks during emergency or critical situations, technical evaluation and audit on all safety and emergency equipment, as well as risk evaluation on communications equipment between hostler and OCC.
The task force also recommended periodical refresher courses, training and re-certification to maintain the efficiency at the OCC and among hostlers, which should be part of the operator's long-term plan.
Also suggested were risk assessment on the installation of stanchions within the train's vestibules, as well as simulation of the existing and revised SOPs.
A Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) study should be performed on all Prasarana and Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd assets and systems, while electronic train detection systems to ensure 'time-out' trains are detectable remotely, should be improved, the report read.
Apart from that, move to fortify Rail Enforcement Division of the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to regulate rail service and safety standards; and installation of 'hot button' system to simplify OCC control over trains during critical situations were also recommended.
The train hostler, identified as having caused the May 24 collision, which left 47 seriously injured and 166 others with minor injuries, has since been suspended.