Upgrading of aerotrain service at KLIA

AIRPORT operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) says its aerotrain service that shuttles between the KL International Airport's (KLIA) main terminal and satellite building will be down for about five months from November.

MAHB senior general manager of operations Datuk Azmi Murad said the Track Transit System (TTS), or aerotrains, will undergo upgrading works until March 15 next year.

As a result of the transit system shutdown, 12 shuttle buses will be stationed around the clock to transfer passengers between the contact pier at the main terminal and the satellite building.

While MAHB's dry run shows that it takes an extra eight minutes for departing passengers to commute from the check-in area to the departure gates at the satellite building using the shuttle buses, passengers travelling on international flights should allocate additional time.

"We are embarking on the KLIA Spur Line project which will see modifications to the existing 2 three-car trains and the adding of another three-car train," Azmi told reporters at a briefing at KLIA yesterday.

The project will also see the construction of a maintenance and storage facilities building, or depot, close to the satellite building. There will also be a new spur line integrated with the existing train shuttle system.

Azmi added that the project will address the future needs of the ultimate train system with the construction of the a new satellite building, which could be in three to four years.

The spur line will connect the present satellite building (A) with the future satellite (B) building.

Konsortium Bombardier-Hartasuma Sdn Bhd was given a 32-month contract to complete the project, valued at RM208.58 million. The entire project should be completed by September next year.

"The reason for carrying out this project is to facilitate maintenance for the current train operation and accommodate overhaul works of the existing and future trains," said Azmi.

The dual-lane shuttle system has one train each. One track has a recorded mileage equal to 44 trips around the world, while the other track has recorded 48 trips.

Currently, when maintenance works are carried out on either train, only one train is left to function. Therefore, an additional carriage will ensure that, in future, two trains will work at any given time.

Azmi said the shutdown of both aero-trains was a necessary precautionary measure.

"There may be flying debris due to hacking of structures, compromising passenger safety. One of the existing tracks is equipped with high-tension cables, so it puts the safety of workers at risk," he said.

He added that the shutdown period would otherwise drag to nine months.- By Jeeva Arulampalam