KUALA LUMPUR: The authorities have identified slip-prone tracks after a cargo train derailed at the KTMB Bank Negara station, the Transport Minister says.

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said measures have been put in place to improve the situation.

“In certain areas, we have told Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) to slow down the traffic,” he told reporters at the launch of Pikom’s 9th Leadership Summit 2017 here yesterday.

He was commenting on the incident yesterday morning where a south-bound cargo train derailed on the Bank Negara-Kuala Lumpur line, causing delays and cancelled routes.

Liow said that the Government was working to upgrade the KTM Klang Valley Double Track (KVDT) and the southern track projects.

“We are in the process of turning both into an electrified double-track.

A note on the service disruption at the Segambut station.

“We are confident that it will boost our railway services in the near future,” he said.

Meanwhile, calling the incident “unacceptable”, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) said it had directed KTMB to expedite investigations and furnish a full account of the incident to determine the exact cause of the derailment.

In a statement, it added that it had ordered KTMB to suspend cargo services along the Rawang-Salak Selatan stretch until the investigation was concluded.

SPAD also said it had tasked KTMB to review and improve its freight wagon operational procedure to ensure safety.

KTMB informed commuters that repair works would take two to three days before operations could return to normal.

It said the affected routes were Tanjung Malim-Port Klang, and Batu Caves-Seremban-Tampin/Pulau Sebang.

Not going anywhere: A cargo train derailed at the KTMB Bank Negara station early yesterday.

The Electric Train Service (ETS) for Padang Besar/Butterworth-Ipoh-KL Sentral-Gemas, and Gemas-KL Sentral-Ipoh-Butterworth/Padang Besar were also affected.

For the Tanjung Malim-Port Klang line, the commuter service would only operate between the Tanjung Malim and Kepong stations, and KL Sentral and Port Klang stations.

As for the Batu Caves-Seremban-Tampin/Pulau Sebang line, the commuter service would only operate between the Batu Caves and Sentul stations and KL Sentral-Seremban-Tampin/Pulau Sebang.

Delays for all train services were expected to be between 30 and 45 minutes.

KTMB added that the north sector would operate until the Sungai Buloh station, and commuters would travel from the Sungai Buloh station to KL Sentral on MRT, before continuing their journey to the Gemas station, where ETS is available.

Meanwhile, ETS for the south sector would operate until KL Sentral station.

For latest information on the situation, visit KTMB’s Twitter @ktm_berhad or contact the KTMB call centre at 03-2267 1200.

-The Star-