KUALA Lumpur International Airport’s (KLIA) aerotrain project is expected to be completed by January 31, 2025, ahead of the project’s originally planned completion date, said Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

The new completion date was finalised through a contract signed on June 14, 2024 between its subsidiary Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd and Alstom Transport Systems (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, as well as a joint venture consisting of IJM Construction Sdn Bhd and Pestech Technology Sdn Bhd.

It said MA Sepang is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MAHB and Alstom Transport Systems (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Alstom).

“This advances the original completion date of March 31, 2025, by two months.

“As the project coordination lead, MAHB Alstom will oversee the delivery of three new trains, the upgrading of two lines, and the overall comprehensive testing required for safe operation,” it said in a statement today.

MAHB said that according to the project’s timeline, the new aerotrains are expected to arrive in Malaysia from China by the end of the third quarter of this year.

“The aerotrains will then undergo commissioning and rigorous testing by the relevant authorities before official operations can commence,” it said.

In March 2022, MAHB announced the awarding of the KLIA aerotrain replacement project with a scheduled completion timeline of three years. 

A delay in the project, however, led MAHB to terminate the contract.

A new project was awarded in January 2024 to a consortium comprising Alstom, the aerotrain’s original equipment manufacturer, and IJMC-Pestech JV to steer the project back on track.

MAHB acting group CEO Rastam Shahrom pointed out that the project completion ahead of schedule was a testament to the relentless commitment to improving the passenger experience. – June 18, 2024