Soldiers to protect Klang Valley’s LRT and MRT tracks from cable theft? There’s no explicit mention of that worsening problem, but the newly-formed Skuadron Rapid Rail 50 Rejimen Pakar Keretapi Rejimen Askar Jurutera Diraja (RAJD) Askar Wataniah (AW) will assist in protecting our urban rail network.
Defence minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that the squadron is a new strategic initiative that integrates defence expertise with the country’s urban rail system. It’s also a sign of the government’s commitment in strengthening the protection of critical national infrastructure.
“The establishment of this squadron reflects the continuous commitment of the defence ministry in ensuring operability and safety of strategic public transport infrastructure, to ensure that it’s always at the optimum level, not only in peacetime, but also when facing crisis situations or safety threats,” Khaled said today at the squadron’s launch, reported by Astro Awani.
“The urban rail system including the LRT, MRT and Monorail is among critical national infrastructure that supports the daily mobility of the rakyat, and also the economy. So, the establishment of the squadron contributes directly to national security by ensuring that the rail system is protected in all situations, including for national crisis management and accessibility of military operations,” he added.
The squadron fully consists of Askar Wataniah members who have professional expertise in rail, engineering and transport operations. It does not involve additional permanent posts but utilises existing expertise as a strategic value-add to national defence, the minister said. There are 33 officers and 191 members of AW in the squadron.
“In an emergency or crisis situation, the squadron will be mobilised to assist in rail operations recovery, engineering support, incident side management and coordination with security agencies and the rail operator,” Khaled explained.
In December, Prasarana said that cable theft is disrupting Rapid KL rail operations, directly affecting millions of commuters in the Klang Valley. This is in addition to losses of RM20.6 million in the past three years. Delays aside, there’s also the safety issue.
The operator of Rapid public transport said that last year saw a 68% increase in cases of cable theft. The trend is spurred by demand and the market price of the cables, specifically the copper inside, which makes it lucrative to syndicates. Here’s hoping that the new AW squadron is a good deterrent. Full story here.
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