Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit, a leap forward in public transport
CAN you imagine you are in the busy city of Kuala Lumpur devoid of public transport network? How do people travel to work, to school, or to see friends and family? What are the effects, if the only transport choice available in Greater Kuala Lumpur or Klang Valley of 7.25 million people is by car?
The answer is CHAOS as a city without public transport is a city that regularly grinds to a halt.
The Kuala Lumpur city is within the ambit of Klang Valley whose population towards 2020 is expected to be approximately 10 million.
Like many cities throughout the world, Kuala Lumpur urgently demands a modern, effective and efficient transport system. But what is the better system?
Looking at the experiences from other countries it cannot be denied that the Mass Rapid Transit or better known by its acronym “MRT” is a one of the best passenger transport systems.
It is projected to transport passengers in large numbers speedily from the suburbs into the city and back.
If seen from its physical form, there are three kinds of MRT system.
The first two are the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) or LRT (Light Rail Transit). Included in the LRT is electric rail trains operated using short hopper, such as monorail.
The third is the Heavy Rail Transit which has a large capacity as Commuter Line; this is the system that Kuala Lumpur is currently implementing, the rail-based MRT operating as components of the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit or better known as KVMRT.
It is a planned 3-line mass rapid transit system in the Greater Kuala Lumpur (within the Klang Valley region) conurbation in Malaysia. It conceives of a “wheel and spoke” concept comprising two northwest-southeast radial lines and one circle line looping around Kuala Lumpur.
The modern rail-based KVMRT mass transportation system which builds the new line under the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur rail transit system that is about 156km long, covering a radius of 20km from the city centre and has a capacity of two million passengers per day.
This system is supported by the network of feeder buses and covered walkways to provide endto-end connectivity commuter and pedestrians.
The KVMRT is connecting Sungai Buloh to Kajang which involved the construction of a 51km transit line. This system passes through the KL city centre and integrated with the existing KTM Komuter, Ampang LRT Line and Kelana Jaya LRT Line. It has 35 stations and 2 depots.
According to a report by Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD), the KVMRT system is set to be one of the most important and largest transport infrastructure projects Malaysia has embarked on.
This project is listed as an Entry Point Project (EPP) under the Economic Transformation Programme’s Greater Kuala Lumpur-Klang Valley National Key Economic Areas (NKEA), and will provide a major boost in the integration and efficiency of urban public transport.
The new KVMRT system is envisaged to radically improve and transform Kuala Lumpur’s poor and sorely inadequate public transportation coverage and to propel the Greater Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area to be on par with that of a developed city.
The KVMRT project will see the construction of three MRT lines; MRT Line 1, MRT Line 2 and MRT Line 3.
The MRT Line 1 begins from Sungai Buloh and runs through the city centre of Kuala Lumpur before ending in Kajang, spanning 51 km with a total of 31 stations along its route.
It will feature both elevated and underground stations and is expected to run at a frequency of 3.5 minutes.
Phase One of the MRT Line 1 from Sungai Buloh to Semantan opened to commuters by the end of 2016, while Phase Two, from Semantan to Kajang opened this month.
The Government has allocated RM28 billion for the implementation of the MRT Line 2 for the Sungai Buloh-SerdangPutrajaya link.
The MRT Line 2 will serve a corridor with a population of around 2 million stretching from Sungai Buloh via Central Business District of Kuala Lumpur to Bandar Malaysia, Kuchai Lama and Serdang before ending at Putrajaya. The 52.2km line will include a 13.5km underground section between Jalan Ipoh and Kuchai Lama and 38.7km of viaduct.
There will be 37 stations, 26 of which will be elevated with 11 underground stations. The stations will include Sri Damansara, Kepong, Kampung Batu, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Jalan Tun Razak, KLCC, Tun Razak Exchange, Kuchai Lama, Seri Kembangan and Cyberjaya.
The initial phase of the line between Sungai Buloh and Kampung Batu is due to be operational by July 2021 and the remainder of the line from Kampung Batu to Putrajaya Sentral is scheduled to be opened by July 2022. The MRT Line 2 is expected to serve 529,000 passengers per day.
This is expected to further improve the chronic traffic congestion currently in Kuala Lumpur.
The MRT Line 3 which is part of the third and final line for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit Project is at its planning and development stage. The announcement of the project will be revealed at a later date.
The proposal of KVMRT was initially announced in June 2010. It was approved by the government of Malaysia in December 2010. Construction of the first line commenced in July 2011.
The new line is part of the government’s push for more rail transport links in the city’s most populous districts. The first MRT line in Greater Kuala Lumpur opened on 16th December 2016 and serves 12 stations and travel between Sungai Buloh in Selangor into the residential areas of Bandar Utama and Damansara. Greater KL is currently served by an extensive LRT system and KTM’s Komuter line.
The RM 21 billion KVMRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line stretching 51 kilometres was officially opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on the good Feng Shui day of 17 July 2017.
I concur with Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak that the KVMRT national project may be costly to build but it is imperative for the people.
He is correct that the project reflects excellence in the government’s performance in providing an efficient city transport system on par with that of developed countries.
The KVMRT project proved that the government placed the wellbeing of the people as top priority and did not discriminate states that were not in accord with it.
The MRT would not only save travel time and cost for the people but also minimize traffic congestion with a reduction of 160,000 vehicle entries into the nation capital daily.
It is noteworthy that, because of government’s substantial investment in preparing transport facilities for the people, Malaysia is now ranked 11th among 138 nations in the Global Competitive Index 2016-2017 in transport infrastructure development.
Accordingly Malaysia’s position was better than other Asean countries such as Indonesia (36), Thailand (37), Vietnam (63), Philippines (90) and Laos (110).
Despite negative response by some myopic critics, it is a fact that the social, economic and environmental benefits extend beyond those who use it regularly.
Based on the survey conducted, there were 2.2 million vehicles in Kuala Lumpur each day. Studies show that the number of vehicles sold in the year 2010 was 605,156 units, an increase of 12.71% over the previous year (536,905 units).
This study shows the number of vehicles on the roads is increasing and causing the traffic congestion on the road.
Professional logisticians are confident that the KVMRT is a world-class efficient public transport system.
It can reduce the road activity by encouraging the road users to utilize the MRT and hence reduce the worsening traffic congestion.
There are many valid reasons why public transport in general and MRT in particular are pertinent in developing and improving the city such as Kuala Lumpur.
However it is also essential and urgent in developing our sustainable city. Credit must be accorded to our government for implementing KVMRT system which can surely reduce carbon footprint, alleviate road congestion, and provide increased safety for passengers. You will not disagree with me that it is convenient, accessible, and affordable, and the MRT often form the core of sustainable mobility policies.
To further enhance sustainable mobility Malaysia must continue outline various interrelated services, infrastructure, and human-related challenges associated with accessing mobility options to examine how these contribute to shaping the quality of life in the city. Of course this is another logistics subject which I do not wish to evoke boredom to your Sunday respite.
I shall dwell on this subject in my future article or seminar. Have a good weekend.