IEM said it fully backs the immediate establishment of an independent task force by the transport ministry. However, it stressed that, from a safety engineering perspective, the primary focus must extend beyond immediate mechanical fixes to encompass the systemic safety safeguards embedded across the entire transit network.
To help rebuild public trust, IEM suggested regular, independent safety audits led by external rail engineering professionals, completely separate from operational management.
“These audits should rigorously evaluate track-train stress, structural wear, and hidden system risks,” the engineering professionals group said in a statement.
IEM added that manual inspections at fixed intervals based on time or mileage cannot guarantee safety when running ageing trains at high frequencies and peak capacities.
“Malaysia must rapidly adopt smart technology. The future of transit safety requires a shift to predictive maintenance by using real-time sensors to catch and repair infrastructure wear and tear before it leads to system disruptions,” IEM said.
The group also called for the task force’s investigation to determine exactly how the LRT system’s automated safeguards failed to halt the train before it derailed.
“Moving forward, we must ensure that automated protection layers are robust enough to detect and isolate track anomalies instantly, preventing mechanical failures from escalating into critical incidents,” IEM said.
It also called for a transparent audit into the execution of the emergency response and evacuation safety plans.
“The investigation must scrutinise the exact timeline of the evacuation, the structural integrity of emergency egress walkways, the adequacy of trackside auxiliary lighting, and the clarity of real-time communication between the operations control centre and the stranded commuters,” IEM said.
Earlier, FMT reported transport minister Loke Siew Fook as saying that the independent task force would determine whether the incident was caused by human error, a system failure, or other factors.
The task force has been given 30 days to submit its findings, with its report to be made public.
The Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) has opened its own investigation into the incident. The track is expected to reopen by June 3.