Klia Aerotrains Suspended After Breakdown Leaves Passengers Stranded

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MAHB managing director Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said it did not want its passengers to endure another breakdown after yesterday’s incident. (KLIA pic)PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will be suspending its Aerotrain services, which runs between KLIA’s terminals, due to safety reasons.
Earlier today, MAHB issued an apology to passengers who had to walk from KLIA’s main terminal building to the satellite building after an Aerotrain halted mid-way on the tracks yesterday.
Citing similar breakdown incidences in the past, MAHB managing director Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said it did not want its passengers to endure another breakdown again.
“It is for safety reasons. We hope that the public will be understanding about this, (and) we feel that its for the best interest of all,” he told a press conference today.
“We will keep (everyone) informed as to when we can bring the Aerotrains back up before the replacement programme is undertaken.”
Iskandar said the Aerotrains were not only facing a mechanical problem but also electronic issues.
“For us to determine the entire spectrum of (the problem), it may involve dismantling whole parts (of the trains),” he said.
“So we’re asking for everyone’s patience for us to do the full assessment on the trains.”
Iskandar also reminded the public that the trains were 24 years old, had run a mileage of 2.8 million kilometres and served 300 million passengers.
“Yes, we did certain rectifications, upgrades, some overhauls in 2012, but there are some parts that are not even supported or available anymore from the original equipment manufacturer,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of retiring the trains, Iskandar said they had not reached such a decision yet.
“Whether we are going to retire it, it’s not within my purview. Many other stakeholders like the board, regulators, Land Public Transport Agency and the transport ministry will have to be consulted,” he said.
Iskandar also said it was premature to determine the cost of repairs as they had yet to open up the trains and check the platform. - FMT

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