KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Aerotrain service was temporarily suspended this morning after water accumulated in its tunnel following heavy rainfall.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said the incident occurred at around 11am when one of the tunnel’s drainage pumps experienced a technical fault during severe weather.
“The tunnel’s drainage system includes pumps designed to handle water ingress during heavy rain. However, one of the drainage pumps failed to activate automatically, which led to water building up in the tunnel,” MAHB said in a statement here.
It said train operations were halted as a safety precaution, and technical teams were deployed to manually clear the water from the tracks. Service resumed at 12.15pm after engineers confirmed that the route was safe for operations.
MAHB said shuttle bus services to the satellite terminal continued uninterrupted throughout the suspension period, ensuring that passenger movements were not affected.
The airport operator added that work is underway to rectify the faulty pump to prevent a recurrence during future weather events.
“The Aerotrain is currently back in regular service. Our technical teams continue to monitor the system closely to ensure any operational adjustments are promptly addressed. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we fine-tune this new system,” the statement added.
This incident followed a separate one on Wednesday, when a passenger allegedly held a train door open for too long, causing them to become stuck.
The issue was rectified on the spot and it did not cause any disruption to the service, an MAHB spokesman told Malay Mail in response.
The Aerotrain service resumed operations on Tuesday following more than two years of upgrading works valued at RM456 million. It serves as a vital link between KLIA’s main terminal and the satellite terminal.
An iconic feature of KLIA since its opening in 1998, the Aerotrain now features Alstom Innovia APM 300R trainsets.
Each three-car unit can accommodate up to 270 passengers and travel at speeds of up to 56 kilometres per hour, reducing travel time between the main terminal and the satellite terminal to under three minutes.
