First BRT System Expected To Be Implemented By 2012

The Transport Ministry expects to launch Malaysia’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, using an exclusive bus lane, in the second quarter of 2011.

The initial route -- the first of three "corridors" -- will be from Jalan Cheras to Pasar Seni.

Mohamad Nur Kamal, a special transport adviser with the ministry, said today the BRT will increase integration with the light rail transit (LRT) system.

He said the ministry is pushing for a detailed engineering study to be commissioned on the feasibility of the BRT as many major roads cannot accommodate an additional bus lane.

"The study will take six to eight months to be completed and then a proposal will be handed to the government for approval on the project's budget," he said during a media briefing on RapidKL's new four-car train which began operations along the Kelana Jaya LRT line.

Nur Kamal said the ministry hoped to launch the first corridor for the BRT -- from Jalan Cheras to Pasar Seni -- by the second quarter of 2011.

Thios will be followed by the launching of another two corridors -- from Puchong Utama and Damansara Damai to Pasar Seni.

The BRT has been succesfully implemented in Australia, Europe and Columbia.

Nur Kamal said the BRT is part of the National Key Results Area (NKRA) initiatives to increase public transport usage among Malaysians, currently at 16%, to 25% by 2012.

He also said the implementation of an initial three trains, each with four coaches, on the Kelana Jaya LRT line is part of the NKRA.

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad group managing director Datuk Idrose Mohamed said the four-car trains, which can each carry 800 passengers, will enhance the services provided by the current two-car trains as they can carry double the number of passengers.

The new trains, which are part of a fleet of 35 trains, will be operating primarily during the rush hours.

"We have another four currently being tested," Idrose said. They will be delivered in stages until 2012.

Source: The Sun