State DAP chairman wants LRT proposal dropped
KUCHING: Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen has called on Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to drop his ‘ unrealistic idea’ of connecting Kuching, Serian, Samarahan and Santubong via the Light Rail Transit ( LRT) as this may exhaust Sarawak’s RM28 billion reserves.
He said in order for the proposed LRT to connect these four places, the state would have to construct a 129km LRT line linking Kuching- Serian (62km), Kuching-Kota Samarahan ( 34km) and Kuching- Santubong (33km).
This, he added, did not include the line connecting the various housing estates and business regions in the city.
“Though ( Datuk Patinggi) Abang Johari is tight-lipped on the estimated cost of construction, one can roughly make some calculation based on the recent few LRT extension projects undertaken in the Klang Valley such as the 35km Ampang and Kelana Jaya LRT lines which cost RM7 billion and the 36km Bandar Utama LRT line which costs RM9 billion.
“These costs did not include the costs of land acquisition. Thus, the construction cost alone (without the land acquisition costs) is approximately RM200 million to RM250 million per kilometre,” he told a press conference at state DAP headquarters here yesterday.
The state DAP chairman said by the using these figures as a benchmark, the costs for constructing 129km of LRT line is estimated to range from RM25.8 billion to RM32.2 billion.
“The fact that we may not need so much elevated rail lines may lower the costs but there are other factors like inflation and higher construction costs in Sarawak that will increase the costs further. Furthermore, there is also the cost for land acquisition that was not included in the above figures.
“Therefore, for (Datuk Patinggi) Abang Johari to go ahead with such ridiculous plan, he is likely to finish off the state government’s reserve of RM28 billion in one project,” he remarked.
He also noted that based on the total population of the four areas the estimated ridership would be less than one million when compared to Klang Valley which has a population of approximately seven million.
Despite such huge customer base, he said the LRT operation in Klang Valley was still making losses.
“The chief minister must also tell Sarawakians the estimated ridership of his LRT and the estimated revenue and costs of operation. How much will the government be coming up with funds annually to supplement the shortfall?” he questioned.
Chong said one does not need an expert to know that the LRT proposal was “simply ridiculous and economically not feasible”.
“Not only will the construction costs bankrupt our state’s reserve, the LRT’s operation and maintenance costs will also greatly burden our future generations to come.
“Therefore, I urge ( Datuk Patinggi) Abang Johari to drop his ego and to stop fiddling with the LRT idea. Do not make all Sarawakians and our children pay dearly for his pride and ego,” he said and suggested that if the chief minister wanted to leave a legacy in the transport industry, he should instead construct the trans-Sarawak train line that not only carries people but also cargoes.
Also present during the press conference was Chong’s special assistant Dr Kelvin Yii.