Loke says independent task force to probe Chan Sow Lin LRT derailment; services to resume June 3

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 – The train that derailed at the Chan Sow Lin LRT station yesterday will be hoisted and removed today, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced.

Conducting a site inspection this morning, Loke told the press that a thorough investigation of the track condition will be carried out by an independent special task force and the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).

“This morning, I visited the site with the special task force and APAD to see for myself the condition of the track that caused the derailment yesterday. What I was informed by Prasarana is that the train that derailed will be hoisted and removed today,” Loke stated.

The incident occurred yesterday morning when a train on the Ampang-Sri Petaling Line derailed while passing through a track switch area near the station, disrupting service schedules along the affected route. All 25 passengers onboard were safely evacuated with no injuries reported.

Loke noted that repair work on the track is expected to commence immediately following the removal of the train.

“It will take three to five days, and it is expected that this track will be returned to service and reactivated on Wednesday, June 3, after the long weekend holiday,” Loke said.

During the interim, trains from Ampang to Kuala Lumpur will need to reverse back to the Ampang area to facilitate the ongoing repair works.

Elaborating on the derailment, Loke said the improper functioning of the station switch caused the incident.

“When the train derailed, it came off the track, and to haul the train back onto the track, a crane is needed. Initial findings revealed that the first carriage was on the correct track, but the subsequent carriages were misdirected. The force from the back led to the first carriage coming off completely,” he explained.

To ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents, the ministry has established an independent Special Task Force to investigate the cause.

“There are no Prasarana representatives in that task force, so they can independently investigate the cause of the incident and look at what exactly happened – whether it was human error or a system failure,” Loke added.

Prasarana Malaysia Bhd is the state-owned public transport operator that runs the Klang Valley’s LRT, MRT, and Monorail networks, as well as Rapid KL bus services.

The task force has been given a maximum of 30 days to complete its report, which will be made public as a transparency measure.

Present at the press conference were Prasarana Chairman Tan Sri Mohd Nasir Ahmad and APAD Director-General Ahmad Radhi Maarof.