KUALA LUMPUR – The collapse of a crane at the railway line between Rawang and Kuang was due to the weak soil that the structure sat on, causing several of its upper parts to break and topple, said Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd group CEO Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin.
Addressing a press conference at the Rawang KTM Komuter station, Rani said parts of the crane landed on both sides of the railway line, disrupting train services including the Komuter, ETS and KTM cargo services.
“The weak soil structure caused the crane to lose its balance and incline its weight towards the train track.
“The upper part of the crane subsequently gave way and fell onto the railway track.
“There are four parts of the crane currently lying on the track,” he said.
The incident happened during the construction of a multi-storey parking lot located near Railway Assets Corp.
Rani said the incident had caused no injuries or casualties among construction workers and passengers.
At present, Rani said the railway company is in the midst of replacing the damaged components and cables as well as testing the power supply to the overhead line located above the tracks.
KTMB, he said, is expecting repairs to be completed in 24 hours.
Yesterday, train services were disrupted when parts of the crane involved in the construction of a multi-storey parking lot toppled onto the train track at KM355.74 between Rawang and Kuang at 5.35pm.
The incident affected roughly 10,000 passengers, and bus services were provided to service their journey to and from Sg Buloh and Serendah, as well as for those travelling on the KL Sentral-Sg Buloh-Tg Malim route for the ETS.
“Today, 20,000 KTM Komuter passengers and 10,000 ETS passengers are expected to be affected due to disruption, involving 32 ETS services and 46 KTM Komuter services within the Klang Valley routes.
“These numbers will last until the train operation is fully restored,” Rani said.
Effective immediately, Rani said KTMB will be issuing refunds through KTM Wallet to passengers who want to cancel their travel. – December 13, 2023