Prasarana Given Approval To Build LRT Lines

Work on the LRT extension from the Kelana Jaya line to USJ 20 in Subang Jaya and the Ampang line from Sri Petaling to Taman Puchong Prima will start soon.

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) has been given the approval for both lines from the Department of Railways.

There will be 13 stations for each of the two lines.

Prasarana group managing director Datuk Idrose Mohamed said they had their public hearing for three months beginning Sept 15 last year.

“The proposed lines were displayed at various locations of the local authorities,” Idrose told reporters at his office in Bangsar yesterday.

“We received a lot of feedback from the public and stakeholders while meetings were also held with residents on their objections raised.

“Both the federal and state governments ordered us to study the objections raised and how we can overcome the issues. We gave solutions and approval was granted,” he said.

On the remaining “unapproved” sections, Idrose said discussions were being held with the state and federal governments and hoped to obtain approval soon after all issues and residents’ concerns were sorted out.

For the Kelana Jaya line, the first phase of construction work covering 9.2km will be from the Kelana Jaya station to USJ near the Kesas highway.

For the Ampang line, the first phase is from the Sri Petaling station to Kinrara 3 covering 7.4km.

Work to relocate telecommunication cables, TNB underground cables and high voltage transmission lines, water mains, sewerage and gas pipes is expected to start in mid-July.

Idrose said work on both the lines would start simultaneously and was expected to be completed in three years.

He said the exact time frame would be clearer once approval for the remaining sections was obtained and tender called in September.

He added that there would be 800 to 1,500 parking bays depending on the location of the stations and the ridership.

Some stations are being integrated and some with just drop-off bays without the park-and-ride facility.

Source: The Star

LRT Service From Ampang To Be Expanded Soon

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said on Saturday his ministry plans to expand the light rail transit (LRT) service from Ampang soon.

He said the ministry received feedback from the public requesting it to include and improve the Ampang line in the expansion plan, especially around Puchong and Serdang area.

"The ministry has just completed tackling the extension of the rail service from Kelana Jaya to Subang.

"We will be conducting the same process as we did when tackling the Kelana Jaya extension, including conducting public hearing and also town hall meetings, for the expansion of the rail service from Ampang to Puchong-Serdang," he said.

He was speaking to reporters after launching the "Hope and Train 2009/2010 Appreciation Ceremony" at Taylor's University College new campus here.

Ong said the ministry received an overwhelming support for the expansion of the Kelana Jaya-Subang rail last year and decided to conduct the same process for the Ampang line.

He also said that the public also wanted the LRT service to be improved including shortening the waiting time for coaches.

"As improving public transportation is one of priorities in the National Key Result Area (NKRA), it is the responsibilities of the ministry to improve the LRT system," he said.

The Ampang LRT line extension will begin from the Sri Petaling Station passing through Kinrara and Puchong before ending at Putra Heights, covering a distance of 17.7km with 13 new stations.

Asked whether the Ampang LRT line would also be using new coaches like the Kelana Jaya LRT line, Ong said the ministry was looking into it.

The extensions for the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines are estimated to cost RM7 billion and managed by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (SPNB).

Source: Bernama

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

Four-Car LRT Train For New Routes

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) will be using its new four-car train for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system on its Subang and Puchong extension route.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said this during the RapidKL's LRT inspection ceremony of the new trains for the Kelana Jaya line this morning.

Asked if there is a possibility of Prasarana extending its line to Shah Alam, the minister said the focus for now is on its Subang, Puchong and Ampang lines.

Currently, only four of the 35 four-car train coaches are running while the rest are expected to be utilised by 2011. The new sets of train and the upgrading cost stand at RM1.5 billion.

It can carry 800 passengers, twice the number of the existing two-car trains, and will be used during the morning and evening peak periods while the two-car trains will be employed during off-peak periods.

The new trains also have wheelchair-friendly features and door alarm lights to help the hearing-impaired.

Prasarana is the operator of the public transport network that includes the Ampang and Kelana Jaya LRT lines, KL monorail and bus service in the Klang Valley.

The four-car train sets are the latest version of the Bombardier advanced rapid transit driverless train designed in Canada, 65 per cent of which is assembled in Mexico and 35 per cent in Malaysia. With the additional train, Prasarana will have a total of 70 sets, including 35 sets of the current two-set trains.

Source: The Malay Mail

Feedback Reminder For LRT Extension

The public display period for the LRT extension plan will come to a close on Dec 14.

It is important that the public give feedback on the proposed plan.

While residents of Petaling Jaya, Kelana Jaya, Kinrara, Puchong, Subang Jaya, USJ, Putra Heights and Shah Alam have the most at stake, all residents in the Klang Valley will be affected by the choices that are made.

Therefore, all residents should feel comfortable in giving feedback.

The Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit (Transit) would like to point out that the public display of the LRT extension plan (and for all railway projects) is mandated by the Department of Railways and, therefore, receiving feedback is Prasarana’s responsibility.

According to the project notice, all feedback has to be submitted to the director-general, Department of Railways in writing on or before Dec 14.

To the best of our knowledge, the Department of Railways has no “official form” for the submission of feedback on the public display of railway projects.

Given that there are currently three public displays for four railway projects (the two LRT extensions, Seremban-Gemas electrification and double-tracking and the Ipoh-Padang Besar electrification and double-tracking) happening right now, this is actually a major problem.

Given the number of current projects on public display, the Department of Railways should have developed an official feedback form by now that all members of the public can use.

But as there is no “official form” then the recent statement from Prasarana could cause some confusion.

Again, the public notice simply states that “all comments or objections to the project must be submitted in writing to the director-general of the Department of Railways on or before Dec 14, 2009.”

There is nothing that suggests any “official form” nor is there anything to say that e-mail feedback at the e-mail address lrtextensionfeedback@dor.gov.my or feedback sent in using the feedback forms on the website http://lrtextension.com/ will be considered official, since soft copies are technically not “in writing.”

Transit hopes the Department of Railways director-general will state directly what is “official” or not “official” so that there will be no confusion and the public will not be discouraged for taking the initative to provide feedback.

In the meantime, we urge the public to give feedback on the LRT extension in writing to the director-general, Department of Railways.

Source: The Star

Plan Gets The Thumbs-up

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur residents were generally happy to hear of the proposed LRT lines that will run through their neighbourhood.

Residents living in Bukit OUG condominium and Bukit OUG Townhouse in Jalan Kelang Lama were delighted that there would a station close by their neighbourhood since buses do not ply there.

Student Carol Lee, who lives in Bukit OUG, said she was happy to hear the news as she often had to rely on friends to drop her off at the main road.

“Once I am at the main road, I have to get a taxi to go to KL. This (LRT lines) is definitely good news,’’ she said.

Kinrara resident A. Siva said life would be easier for his family.

“My wife takes the bus to work every day. With the LRT, it will be easier for her,’’ he said.

But not everyone is rejoicing. The residents of Taman Esplanad in Bukit Jalil are unhappy with the proposed Ampang line that is running paralel to their homes.

Esplanad Residents Association vice-chairman Jason Lim said the proposed lines were too close to their houses and that residents were worried about the noise, dust and vibrations that would affect the quality of their lives,’’ Lim said.

According to Lim, the LRT alignments is located a mere 15 metres from houses in Jalan 19/155B and he considered it too close.

“We had meetings with people from Prasarana about this and had suggested that they move the lines closer to the Kesas Highway which is 97 metres away from the houses,’’ he said.

The residents had organised two peaceful protests early in the year when they heard about the project.

The proposed lines were highlighted in the Draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan (DKLCP2020) and residents had already made their objections to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

But what irked them most was that contractors had already started carrying out soil investigations at the site months before the plan was mooted. “This shows that they are not sincere about hearing us out and everything was just a show,’’ he said.

When contacted Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said she wecomed the new lines as it would reduce congestion in the area.

Teresa, who is also Kinrara assemblyman, said Prasarana had tried their best to come up with an alignment that suited everyone. “They did their best considering the limitations they had to work on,’’ she said.

On Monday, transport company Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd group managing director Datuk Idrose Mohamed said the proposed extension were the most cost effective and well-thought out alignments that would serve the needs of the community.

Idrose said the company had to balance the needs of the majority residents in a particular area.

The Ampang LRT extension would cover 17.7km, and start from the Sri Petaling Station, passing through areas like Bukit OUG, the Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Club, and into Puchong, IOI Mall and Tesco before ending at Putra Heights. It will have 13 new stations.

The Kelana Jaya LRT extension starts from the Kelana Jaya station, passing through Subang Jaya and USJ, Carrefour Subang, Subang Ria Recreational Park, SS14, USJ2, USJ8, USJ19 and Hicom Induatrial Estate.It covers 17km with 13 stations.

The line will also have five stations with park-and-ride facilities.

The stations will be equipped with lifts, escalators, public telephones, surau, and toilets.

It will also be disabled-friendly with ramps, lifts, low ticket counters and special toilets.

The 35km of lines, which are estimated to cost RM7bil, will be elevated and are expected to be ready by 2012.

Petaling Jaya

Many people in the Klang Valley feel that the proposed LRT extension lines was long overdue.

Lembah Subang resident Husaini Tumiran, 39, who stays near the LRT depot said his family had been waiting for the extension of the LRT lines.

Husaini was among the people who showed up at the Menara MBPJ in Jalan Tengah to view the details of the plan that was put on display for public comments and suggestions.

“I work near my house so it doesn’t make much of a difference for me but it will definitely make it so much easier for us to go to Kuala Lumpur.

“We usually have to take a bus to the Kelana Jaya LRT station and that alone takes us at least a half hour,” said Husaini.

He was also hoping that having an LRT station in the area would ease the traffic congestion in the morning.

“The traffic is bad during peak hours near the tunnels (referring to the FAS and Taman Megah Mas tunnels) heading to Petaling Jaya,” said Husaini.

Chew Ah Peck, who stays in USJ 15, and works in Section 52 in Petaling Jaya, usually drives to work.

“I sometimes leave my house at 6am just to avoid the jam. I will definitely take the LRT because I will be saving on parking and petrol,” said Chew.

Chew said there should be a multi-level parking at every station to encourage more people to use the LRT.

Chew’s colleague Chloe Peh, who stays in USJ 16, said the jam along Jalan Kewajipan was very bad in the mornings and she would rather take the LRT if there was a station near her house.

However, Chew commented that the efficiency of the LRT services could be improved.

“I used to take the LRT and there would be service disruption about once a month.

“When the train breaks down in the morning, commuters get stranded and the area becomes chaotic as people try to get a bus or taxi to work,” said Chew.

She also commented that the extension lines would not through some high density areas like Bandar Sunway, which would help alleviate the congestion.

Subang Jaya

Puchong MCA division chairman Wong Hock Aun and secretary Liew Yew Fook were among the eager residents to view the plan for the LRT extension at the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) in USJ 5.

Wong commented that the extension should be completed as soon as possible to benefit the people.

However, he felt that in addition to the 10 stations in Puchong, there should be stops in Taman Kinrara Section 3 and Batu 14 to cater for the residents there.

He added that the stations, especially those along the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), should be carefully planned to avoid causing traffic congestion.

“The park-and-ride station at IOI Mall, which is now tentatively located in front of the mall, should be relocated to the area behind the mall since there is space,” he said.

The feeder bus service, too, must be well implemented to encourage the people to use the LRT and cut down on the use of cars.

MPSJ councillor Robert Tan, who pointed out that the line does not go into Bandar Sunway, suggested that Prasarana extend the line, or add a loop, in the high-density area.

“The main objective of having the LRT is to serve the public and relieve traffic congestion. If there is a stop at Bandar Sunway, shoppers do not need to drive to Sunway Pyramid,” he said.

USJ 11 resident Lily Chang welcomes the extension plan as an alternative to the KTM, which she used to get into the city centre.

“The KTM is always late and there is only one station in Subang Jaya, which is near Carrefour. Hopefully with the LRT stations in USJ, the jam would be reduced and probably the pollution, too,” the 42-year-old real estate agent said.

According to the Prasarana officers on duty, there would be two officers on hand daily to assist the public to understand the plans.

Logbooks and a computer are available for the public to convey their suggestions, enquiries or complaints to Prasarana.

Source: The Star

Thousand To Benefit From LRT Extension

Thousands of Klang Valley residents will benefit from the proposed extension to the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT lines.

Transport company Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd group managing director Datuk Idrose Mohamed, who revealed details of the project yesterday, said the proposed extension were the most cost effective and well-thought out alignments that would serve the needs of the community.

“The routes cover densely populated areas in the Klang Valley such as Subang Jaya and Puchong and it balances the need of the majority of the population in those particular areas,” Idrose said.

He added that the current capacity for the Kelana Jaya line was 180,000, while the Ampang line was 170,000.

According to Idrose, the Ampang line is only 70% utilised. With the new lines, Prasarana is confident that more people will opt to using public transport.

Idrose said the Ampang LRT extension would cover 17.7km, and start from the Sri Petaling Station, passing through areas like Bukit OUG, the Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Club, and into Puchong before ending at Putra Heights. It will have 13 new stations.

“There will be seven stations with park and ride facilities, six of which will be developed as multi-storey car park complexes,” he said.

The Kelana Jaya LRT extension starts from the Kelana Jaya station, passing through Subang Jaya and USJ, before ending at Putra Heights. It covers 17km with 13 stations.

The line will also have five stations with park and ride facilities.

The stations will be equipped with lifts, escalators, public telephones, surau, and toilets.

It will also be disabled friendly with facilities for ramps, lifts, low ticket counters and special toilets.

Prasarana will display the proposed extension and alignment of the two LRT lines, as well as the facilities provided at the stations for three months starting today until Dec 14.

Members of the public are invited to give their feedback on the proposed lines at the locations.

Idrose said once they had received feedback from the public, the company would the then consider all the options to cater to the people living in the community.

“I hope that the feed­­back we get will be positive and there will only be minimal changes to the proposed lines,” Idrose added.

The 35km of lines, which are estimated to cost about RM7bil, will be elevated and are expected to be ready by 2012.

Idrose also said Prasarana would add another 35 four-car trains to the Kelana Jaya line, which now has 35 two-car trains.

He also said another 12 to 14 six-car trains would be added to the 30 now serving the Ampang line.

Source: The Star

Puchong LRT Extension Puzzle

Yesterday’s briefing by Syarikat Prasarana Nasional Bhd on the Light Rail Transit service to Subang Jaya and Puchong left many puzzled as to what the exercise hoped to achieve.

For one, what the extension does is to cater for a huge population base, said Michael Tamilarason— the Puchong councillor at the Subang Jaya Municpal Council (MPSJ).

However, he said the LRT line extension does not go beyond Kampung Baru or between Batu 13 and Batu 18 in Puchong.

“These places have in total more than 10,000 in population, arising from the huge housing estates especiallyin Bandar Bukit Puchong.

“In truth, these are the areas where the service is sorely needed. Yet, after listening to SPNB, it appears these places have yet to be included in its LRT plans. The company also did not offer any explanation when queried,” said Tamilarason.

During the briefing, SPNB’s plans showed the LRT line extension to Puchong will have stops at IOI Mall, Tesco, Bandar Puteri, Puchong Perdana and Putra Heights.

Another public hearing for the Puchong community is expected to be held later this month to solicit feedback and suggestions.

“At this next hearing session, the people should demand for more LRT stops. Anyway, the authorities had ordered the original route to be reviewed, where additional LRT stops are expected to be included,” said a council staff, who declined to be identified.

It is learnt that there is a possibility for more LRT stops to be included in the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015). If that is true,then the public can expect a further delay in the completion of the project.

When first mooted in 2006, the new LRT extension project was supposed to be part of a special RM10 billion government allocation for an efficient and cost-effective public transport system in the Klang Valley.

The extensions to the existing Kelana Jaya-Gombak and Sri Petaling-Ampang lines were to be constructed at a cost of RM5 billion and supposed to be ready by 2010.

This was later delayed to 2011 and the latest feedback is that the planned additional lines and stations for the LRT network is now projected to be ready only in 2013— three years later than originally planned.

The new lines will cover some 32km and cut across Kuala Lumpur.The Kelana Jaya line (formerly Putra LRT) will be extended to Subang Jaya and USJ, while the Sri Petaling line (formerly Star LRT) will cover Puchong.

Source: The Star

New And Extension Of Rail Transit Line

More than one million Klang Valley residents will benefit from the much awaited new Kota Damansara-Cheras rail transit line.

The Government had earlier said the new line and extensions should be ready by 2012. Sources said with the average construction period taking three to four years, work would have to start by the end of this year.

The 40km route covers some of the most densely populated areas in the Klang Valley such as Damansara and Cheras as well as the fast growing area of Kota Damansara.

It will also serve the heart of the Golden Triangle, the business and financial hub of Kuala Lumpur.

Currently, the area is only served by KL Monorail, which is already suffering from overcrowding.

The new line, which sources said would cost between RM4bil and RM5bil and will be mostly elevated, will provide the much needed expansion to the current 56km, 48-station light rail transit network, especially in view of the rising fuel prices and the new emphasis on public transport.

The line was announced in October 2006 by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak but little has been heard about it since then.

The alignment, made available to The Star, showed the new line running from Kota Damansara along Persiaran Surian to the Damansara-Puchong Expressway and then heading towards the city centre along the Sprint Expressway, through Bangsar Baru and Jalan Bangsar.

It will then run parallel to the existing Kelana Jaya LRT line (formerly Putra-LRT) to KL Sentral, Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek before heading to the Golden Triangle along Jalan Raja Chulan.

The route will then pass Pasar Rakyat in Bukit Bintang and then Jalan Tun Razak where it will join Jalan Cheras.

It will continue along the road and the Cheras-Kajang Expressway to the Balakong interchange near Cheras Batu 11.

Passengers will be able to switch with the existing Kelana Jaya LRT line at Bangsar, KL Sentral, Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek; and the Ampang LRT line (formerly Star-LRT) at Masjid Jamek and Maluri.

There will be around 30 stations along the line, including the interchange stations.

Sources said the route was a “desktop alignment” which would form the basis for the eventual line. The number of stations has also not been finalised.

The final alignment and number of stations is unlikely to vary in any major way from the “desktop” plan.

As with the other lines, the new line will be owned by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd and operated by RapidKL.

While the Government has yet to announce when work will begin on the new line, sources pointed to the “positive statements” by Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop after a briefing session with Backbenchers last Thursday.

Nor had announced that public transport would be getting more incentives, allocations and assistance in Budget 2009 and future budgets.

Sources said the Government was also currently conducting the mid-term review of the 9th Malaysia Plan and there were concerted efforts to get the new line in.

Besides the new line, the Government is also trying to get extensions to the Kelana Jaya and Ampang Lines started.
The extensions will cover Subang Jaya, USJ, Kinrara and Puchong and meet at Putra Heights.

Source: The Star, 15 June 2008