Aerotrain replacements to roll ahead of schedule

Upgrade in the works: KLIA’s new aerotrains are expected to be ready by Jan 31, 2025, two months ahead of its original planned completion, while the old ones can be seen in this file photo.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Aerotrain Replacement Project at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is slated to be completed by Jan 31, 2025, two months ahead of its original planned completion date of March 31, 2025, says Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

The airport operator said this expedited timeline was finalised through a contract signed on June 14 between Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd (MA Sepang), Alstom Transport Systems (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and IJMC-Pestech JV, a joint venture between IJM Construction Sdn Bhd and Pestech Technology Sdn Bhd.MA Sepang is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MAHB.

“Alstom will oversee the delivery of three new trains, the upgrading of two lines and the overall comprehensive testing required for safe operations,” MAHB said in a statement.

The aerotrains are expected to arrive in Malaysia from China by the end of the third quarter of this year, Bernama reported.

In March 2022, MAHB said it had awarded the KLIA Aerotrain Replacement Project, which has a three-year completion timeline.

However, the project encountered delays, which resulted in a new project award in January 2024 to a consortium comprising Alstom, the aerotrain’s original equipment manufacturer, and IJMC-Pestech JV to steer the project back on track.

MAHB acting group chief executive officer Mohamed Rastam Shahrom said the early project completion was a testament to the relentless commitment to improving passenger experience.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Department said it is committed to improving the autogate service at main entry points to the country, including at KLIA. Its director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said the department would study and clean up the work process to boost the quality of service.

“With the cooperation of the Home Ministry, we plan to increase the number of autogates to cater to the rising demand from foreign visitors,” he said in a statement.

“The department is always committed to providing the best service and welcomes suggestions as a continuous effort to improve movement at key entry points in the country.

“This is the department’s commitment to supporting the national economic development without neglecting facilities for Malaysian citizens,” he added.The use of autogates by foreign visitors began on June 1, in line with the government’s announcement that its use be expanded to 63 countries to meet the rising number of foreign visitors.

The Immigration Department recorded foreign visitor arrivals of over 30 million people, Ruslin said.

“Foreign visitor arrivals have risen with over 13 million entering Malaysia and the higher number of arrivals requires an efficient and quick process that doesn’t compromise national security,” he said.

Ruslin added that the autogate service proved to be effective and managed to speed up the process to 10 to 15 seconds compared with 30 minutes of waiting at manual counters. The service is capable of reducing congestion at the KLIA arrival hall significantly by settling 85% of arrivals within 25 minutes.