Rapid Rail has reported 25 service disruptions across it’s network as of August 2025, a significant improvement compared with previous years. Transport Minister Anthony Loke highlighted the milestone as evidence of the company’s effort to enhance service reliability and reduce technical faults across it’s rail lines.
The improvement is notable when compared with 71 disruption in 2025 and 118 cases in 2023, demonstrating a positive trend in operational stability.
“While these improvements mark progress over previous years, the ministry recognises that even a single disruption causes inconvenience to passengers”, Loke said in a written reply to Parliament. So, the ministry will continue to support Rapid Rail in further improving the reliability of Light Rail Transit, Mass Rail Transit and monorail services, while reducing the number of disruptions.”
The statement came in response to a question raised in the parliament regarding strategies Rapid Rail has implemented to prevent prolonged service interruptions and whether lessons were drawn from incidents in other countries, such as Singapore.
Loke explained that Rapid Rail has adopted proactive, data-driven maintenance measures to improve reliability. This includes condition-based and predictive maintenance through the installation of smart sensors on critical components, allowing the operator to detect potential failures before they occur. In addition, a system analytics centre has been set up for real-time monitoring of train systems and rail infrastructure, ensuring swift action when issues arise.
To further safeguard operations, Rapid Rail has also entered long-term service support agreements with original equipment suppliers, guaranteeing the availability of spare parts and ongoing technical assistance.
The improvements are reflected in the rise of the mean kilometres between failure (MKBF), a metric that measures the average distance a train travels before encountering a disruption. As of August, the MKBF stands at 550,000 KM, up from 330,000 KM in 2024, and 160,000 KM in 2023, indicating that trains are running more reliably and for longer distance without interruption.
With these measures, Rapid Rail is positioning itself to offer passenger safer, more dependable journeys, while continuing to learn from international best practices to further enhance Malaysia’s urban rail systems.
Sources: NST
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