KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he would take full responsibility for the LRT train derailment at Chan Sow Lin station.
Loke said the responsibility must be shouldered and could not be avoided, even though the incident was regrettable.
"We will take responsibility to ensure that the appropriate action is taken," he told a press conference on Friday (May 29).
He was speaking after inspecting the derailment site at the Chan Sow Lin LRT track.
Loke said immediate measures had been taken through the formation of a special task force to thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident.
He stressed that government support for Prasarana Malaysia Bhd would continue.
He added that the Transport Ministry had consistently provided the assistance required.
"Our support for Prasarana is ongoing. Whatever support is needed from the Transport Ministry has been provided all this while," he said.
Loke noted that incidents like this are deeply regrettable.
He said the ministry will take whatever action is necessary to ensure the system remains safe.
Despite no injuries being reported, Loke said the derailment was a serious incident.
He warned that train derailments pose significant risks and could potentially result in a major disaster.
"We are fortunate that the train had just started moving and had not reached its maximum speed," he said.
The derailment occurred during a track-switching process outside the station.
Loke stressed that the incident could not be treated as a routine service disruption and warranted a thorough and independent investigation to determine the root cause.
"This is not something that can be taken lightly. We must identify the cause and make it known to the public," he added.
Loke said the ministry wants to foster a culture of integrity and accountability among public transport operators.
He stressed that incidents like this cannot be hidden and must not be allowed to happen again.
On Thursday (May 28), a train on the Ampang/Sri Petaling Line derailed while passing through a track switch area at Chan Sow Lin station.
Rapid KL previously said there were 25 passengers on board at the time of the incident.
All were safely evacuated without any injuries.
