‘BRT to become backbone of public transport in southern Johor’

The newly launched Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Iskandar Malaysia is being developed at a cost of RM2.56 billion, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Spanning 51km with 39 stations, BRT is expected to be up and running in 2021. It will serve as the backbone of public transportation in southern Johor over the next 20 years.

Najib said the Federal Government was contributing RM1 billion to BRT’s development, while the remaining was from a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

“Under the concept of inclusivity and sustainability, the Federal Government, via the Iskandar Regional Development Authority and Johor government, will develop BRT as the backbone of public transport in the Iskandar Malaysia in the next two decades.

“BRT is a transit system with high-quality buses that will provide reliable, comfortable and cost-effective services.”

He said BRT would meet the public transport demands of the increasing population, economic growth and increased job opportunities in Iskandar Malaysia.

“I was told BRT will have elements of the Light Rail Transit or metro, which will make it quicker than regular buses.

“We will ensure that BRT is linked to the Rail Transit System (RTS), the High-Speed Rail (HSR) and intercity bus services.

“It will be a catalyst for Iskandar Malaysia to be more competitive globally and on a par with developed countries.”

BRT was among four initiatives announced by Najib at the launch of the Progressive Johor Expo in Kota Iskandar here yesterday.

The other initiatives were the Johor Skills Development Master Plan, Johor Sustainability Policy and four People’s Housing Programme (PPR) projects in Johor.

On PPR, Najib said the government provided a subsidy of more than RM100,000 for every PPR unit, which had benefited the lowand medium-income groups.

He said the projects were in Bandar Tenggara, Masai, Ulu Tiram and Permas Jaya, involving 1,830 units costing RM360 million.

He said work on the projects would begin at the end of this year or early next year and be completed by 2020.

He said the Johor Skills Development Master Plan was part of

the government’s effort to developed skilled workers to meet the demand from investors.

He said the Johor Sustainability Policy was in line with the demands of youth who expressed their needs on the matter during Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50) roadshows.

“The younger generation wants Malaysia to achieve balance between material development and environmental conservation. They want sustainable development.”