The KVDT2 project, which involves the rehabilitation of 265km of railway tracks from Salak South in Kuala Lumpur to Seremban and from Simpang Port Klang near MidValley in Kuala Lumpur to Port Klang, has been twice delayed since 2017.
It was first put on hold by the Pakatan Harapan government, then reinstated and then terminated by the Perikatan Nasional government, which cited the costs of the project.
Opening the union’s delegates conference today, its president, Abdul Razak Md Hassan, called for all parties to sit down and discuss a swift resolution to the stalemate, after Dhaya Maju LTAT Sdn Bhd took the government to court to stop it from appointing a new contractor for the project.
“The cancellation has hampered the repairs of the KVDT2 tracks, and with the legal process disputing the cancellation of the project, which will certainly take a long time, the tracks will consequently be in a more critical position in terms of their safety.
“It will also cause a breakdown in KTMB’s business and a loss of revenue,” he said.
He urged the transport ministry to sit down with both Dhaya Maju Infrastructure (Asia) Sdn Bhd (DMIA) and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) to reach a solution that can be executed quickly.
Officiating the meeting earlier, transport minister Wee Ka Siong commended KTMB and its workers, and recognised their commitment to providing the best service possible to the country.
“I and my team at the ministry always strive to ensure that the welfare of those in KTMB are given priority, even when faced with difficult times. All of you are at the forefront of many benefits to the community,” Wee said.
Razak also said the union rejected the outsourcing of joint ventures when it came to planning and repairs for KTMB trains, which had been the case with the procurement of Dalian trains, electric train sets, six-car sets (SCS) and diesel multiple units from China “without any technology exchange” in the deals.
“In fact, these purchases were carried out through direct negotiation, which creates a perception of no transparency,” he said.
“The union would like to emphasise that all train and other purchases must be done through open tender, for transparency and also to ensure fair selection, quality products, reasonable prices, freely available spare parts and a long lifespan.”