RM76b boost for highway, rail sector

By Sharen Kaur
Published in NST on October 11, 2014

BETTER PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Second MRT line, Pan-Borneo Highway and third LRT link among proposed projects

HIGHWAY and railway developers have received a RM76 billion boost with several projects being lined up to start next year.

Topping the list of new projects are Line 2 of the Klang Valley My Rapid Transit (KVMRT), the RM27 billion Pan-Borneo Highway and the third line for light rail transit (LRT).

The construction of the 1,663km Pan-Borneo Highway — 936km in Sarawak and 727km in Sabah — will kick off next year, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak during the tabling of 2015 Budget, here, yesterday.

Several new highway projects will also commence in the Klang Valley, he added.

They include the 59km Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Expressway (RM5.3 billion), the 276km West Coast Expressway from Taiping to Banting (RM5 billion), the 47km Damansara-Shah Alam Highway (RM4.2 billion) and the 36km Eastern Klang Valley Expressway (RM1.6 billion).

For railway projects, Najib said the 56km KVMRT Line 2, costing an estimated RM23 billion, will run from Selayang to Putrajaya.

Line 1 of the KVMRT links Sungai Buloh and Kajang, and has a projected cost of RM30 billion, which includes RM23 billion for systems and construction, and RM7 billion for consultant fees and reimbursables.

For the LRT project, a new line costing an estimated RM9 billion will be built to link Bandar Utama to Shah Alam and Klang.

The upgrading of KTM Bhd’s east-coast railway line along Gemas-Mentakab, Jerantut-Sun-gai Yu and Gua Musang-Tumpat will also take place at a total cost of RM150 million.

To further improve the public transport system, the government will provide Electric Train Service from Ipoh to Butterworth starting April next year.

The target is to raise the public transport modal share to 25 per cent by 2015 and 50 per cent by 2020.