In describing the many disruptions affecting the Kelana Jaya LRT line recently, he cited a comment made famous two decades ago by then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“We have the best public transport facilities. Since the time of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, we’ve been saying that we have first class infrastructure but when it comes to maintenance, we’re still a third world country.

“This is something that must change,” he said during a visit to the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre.

This, he said, is to ensure that the public transport system enjoyed by Malaysians would not become obsolete in 10 to 20 years’ time.

On Thursday, the Seremban MP told commuters to expect disruptions on the Kelana Jaya LRT line in the coming months, adding that these disruptions are expected to continue all the way to the third quarter of 2023.

Loke said there are 56 LRT train sets under the Kelana Jaya line, but only 38 are in use at the moment because 18 are under maintenance.

He said this is why train frequency has been at five minutes lately, even during peak hours. Once the 18 trains are back in service, the intervals between trains will be reduced to three minutes, he said.

Loke said Prasarana has ordered 19 more train sets, the first of which are expected to arrive in August next year.

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