At a press conference in Parliament today, Loke said repairs to the viaduct and pier structural damage near the Bandaraya LRT station will begin in early March and are expected to take up to seven months.

“This period comprises two months of temporary repair works to strengthen the structure and five months of comprehensive repair works.

“These works will take time as investigations showed that the structural damage (constitutes) a very serious safety risk,” he said.

Loke said the investigation into the structural damage found that it was caused by ground movement, believed to be the result of construction works on a proposed hotel at a site next door.

He said the transport ministry was mulling legal action against the developer as the construction was believed to have started without first engaging the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad).

“However, we cannot wait for the compensation from the legal action. Therefore, we have to bear the cost of the repairs first,” he said. “Once we have strong evidence, we will take the necessary legal action.”

Loke said alternative transport services had been made available for commuters between the Bandaraya and Masjid Jamek stations since Jan 27.

He said that once the Putrajaya MRT line was fully opened, Ampang LRT commuters may use the MRT line for alternative routes in the city, such as through interchange stations like Chan Sow Lin, Titiwangsa and Sungai Besi.

“We understand the inconvenience this has caused commuters and we apologise for this. We also thank you for being patient,” he said.

We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.