MAHB demands immediate fixes from contractors as aerotrain reliability dives; restarts shuttle bus service

• MAHB said it has received data and assurance from the contractors about the train, but "the information provided has not instilled sufficient confidence in the current reliability of the aerotrain system".

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 31): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said it has demanded immediate corrective action from its aerotrain contractors as its preliminary assessments revealed a declining trend in the train's system reliability, in particular its vehicle and power distribution systems.

MAHB said it has received data and assurance from the contractors—Alstom SA and a joint venture between IJM Corp Bhd (KL:IJM) and Pestec International Bhd (KL:PESTEC)— about the train, but "the information provided has not instilled sufficient confidence in the current reliability of the aerotrain system".

"Hence, we have made the decision to implement a comprehensive action plan. The plan will be led by Malaysia Airports’ project team, with the full involvement of contractors, project consultants and in collaboration with an independent technical assessor," MAHB said in a statement.

This plan is in the midst of development, it said, with active engagement from "all relevant parties". "Malaysia Airports will continue to work closely with Agensi Pengangkutan Awam Darat (Land Public Transport Agency) and the Ministry of Transport to address and resolve the issue," it said.

The airport operator previously said that since the aerotrain’s start of service in July, there have been three incidents—on July 12, Sept 3 and Oct 15—where service was temporarily halted. The most recent incident was due to a power supply system malfunction.

Shuttle-bus service to be deployed between 11pm-5am

In the meantime, MAHB said a full shuttle bus service will be deployed during off-peak hours—11:00pm to 5:00am—to facilitate planned and additional inspection and rectification works.

A concurrent shuttle-bus service will also run alongside the aerotrain service between 5am and 11am daily to ensure uninterrupted passenger movement.

“MAHB is ready to mobilise extensive resources to provide full shuttle bus services, according to the requirements of the comprehensive action plan,” it added.

As Penang girds itself towards the last lap of its Penang2030 vision, check out how the residential segment is keeping pace in EdgeProp’s special report: PENANG Investing Towards 2030.