Transportation projects on track
JOHOR’S public transportation system is expected to expand rapidly in the coming years with more than RM50bil being spent on various rail projects and public transport systems that involve the state.
Among the major projects are the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR), which is expected to cost more than RM26bil, and the Rapid Transit System (RTS) between Singapore and Johor Baru (RM10bil).
Others include the Gemas-Johor Baru double-tracking electrified train project worth more than RM9.43bil and the Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system at more than RM2bil.
The 350km HSR project is intended to cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes and stimulate the economy in several localities along the route. The service is expected to begin in 2026.
The project will have seven stations in Malaysia, including three in Johor – Iskandar Puteri, Batu Pahat and Muar. The others are Melaka, Seremban, SepangPutrajaya and Bandar Malaysia.
The train ride will end at Jurong East in Singapore.
The RTS project, on the other hand, will span 4.2km from Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru to Singapore’s Woodlands North station.
Presently, the KTM’s Tebrau Shuttle is able to ferry about 320 passengers in an hour or 6,000 passengers a day to Singapore.
The RTS is expected to transport some 10,000 passengers an hour or 72,000 passengers a day in coaches travelling at 70kph. The link is expected to be completed in 2024.
Work on the double-tracking project, which had previously been delayed for a year, has started and is expected to be completed in 48 months.
The project will stretch some 192km and will include the widening of 29 road crossing bridges, 59 bridges across rivers and 11 pedestrian crossings.
The project has been awarded to CRCC-CREC-CCCC Consortium Sdn Bhd, while SIPP Rail Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Pembinaan YTL Sdn Bhd are the sub-contractors.
Meanwhile, the BRT project will be implemented over the next three years. It is expected to be ready by 2021 and will connect at least 90% of the areas in Iskandar Malaysia spanning over 51km.
The Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) has been tasked with implementing the project.
Johor Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said Johor was going through “exciting and challenging times”.
“We need to ensure that all these mega infrastructure projects, which will hugely benefit the people, are completed on time and according to specifications,” he said.
He added that these projects were also expected to generate opportunities and spillover effects for local contractors and suppliers.
He said the state government had taken proactive measures to ensure that local contractors benefited from the projects taking place in the state, including the setting up of the Johor Centre for Construction Development last year.
“This centre keeps a database of over 6,000 contractors registered in Johor and can help match them with suitable projects,” he added.
Hasni said the state government did not want any contractor to miss out on the opportunities and hoped to develop a huge pool of talent in the rail industry.
“We believe that in the future, the use of rail systems as a mode of transport will be emphasised not just in the city, but in other districts too,” he added.
Regarding plans for a monorail or Light Transit System (LRT) in Johor Baru, Hasni said it all depended on ridership.
“Presently, we do not have the numbers in place. That is why the BRT will involve the expansion of major roads from four to six lanes.
“The buses will travel on the two centre lanes. Once the response is good, we can convert the centre lanes of the roads for LRT or monorail purposes,” he said, adding that the first phase of the BRT project was between Johor Baru and Kota Iskandar.
He added that the other phases would involve Johor Baru-Jalan Skudai and Johor Baru-Jalan Tebrau.
Hasni also said some RM650mil was allocated annually for road maintenance.
‘We have three concessionaires who maintain all our roads,” he said, adding that so far they had achieved the requirements set in their key performance indicators, though there was room for further improvement.