It said the old locomotives and coaches caused high maintenance costs and often broke down.

The ministry said in a statement that the DMU trains are new sets that only require periodical inspections for now. They are under the control of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB).

“The fact is, all 13 DMU train units have arrived safely from the supplier. The National Audit Department will question us if they are not used as all of them have arrived safely and are in good condition.

“There is no issue related to the safety of the oil tank component of DMU trains because they are always cleaned and repaired immediately if there is damage or defects,” said the statement.

The statement was in response to allegations made by Railwaymen Union of Malaysia (RUM) president Abdul Razak Md Hassan regarding the DMU trains via a Facebook post.

Among others, Razak claimed that the DMU trains seemed to have been used in a hurry. He claimed there were also issues related to the safety of the trains’ fuel tanks, quality of glass windows and depot facilities.

According to the ministry’s statement, the new trains are faster and more reliable.

The ministry also said the fuel tanks are safe and will be replaced in stages as required.

It added that the glass windows will be replaced immediately in the event of damage.

The ministry said there were several DMU maintenance depot facilities that were in the final stages of construction.

“However, this does not affect the maintenance of the DMU sets because there are other existing KTMB maintenance depots that can carry out maintenance work,” it said.

The ministry said it had held several discussions with KTMB on various matters, including those related to the DMUs.

“A police report has also been lodged against Razak. The ministry takes seriously baseless allegations that aim to tarnish its image,” it added.