SEPANG, March 2 — The aerotrain service at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has been suspended as a precautionary measure following the breakdowns yesterday, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) managing director Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said.
However, Iskandar assured travellers that they would still be able to move speedily between terminals using the shuttle buses that will run round the clock for the duration of the suspension.
“In the interest of passengers’ safety, the management of MAHB is taking a decisive move to suspend the KLIA Aerotrain service until further notice,” said Iskandar in a press conference here today.
Yesterday, MAHB publicly apologised to passengers affected by the aerotrain service disruption between the main terminal and a satellite building.
The airport operator said that a second train had been dispatched to transport the stranded passengers, but it also experienced technical issues en route.
Iskandar apologised for the disruption, and said 114 passengers had been affected including 10 who missed their flights.
He said that MAHB immediately provided free accommodation and replacement tickets for those whose flight schedules were affected.
He explained that the breakdowns were due to circuit breakers going off, and that the trains themselves were “beyond serviceability”.
“This is an asset that is over 24 years’ old and we did certain rectifications and overhaul was done in 2012, but the severity of it is there are some parts that are not even supported (any longer) and some parts that are not even available anymore from the original equipment manufacturer,” said Iskandar.
On the shuttle buses, he said 18 have been put into service, with each capable of accommodating 40 passengers and taking just six minutes to travel between the main terminal and the satellite buildings.
These were sufficient to take up the aerotrain’s load temporarily and more could be deployed if needed, he said.
“As for now, the buses are available all the time at the bus lounge on a 24-hour basis,” said Iskandar.
Last year, MAHB announced that KLIA will replace the aerotrain service with an all-new train and track system by 2025.
According to a report by Free Malaysia Today, Iskandar said the undertaking will be done in stages, with the design phase starting on March 2022.
He said in the press conference that the project is on track and they target to begin the construction phase at the end of the second quarter this year.
