LRT system will not involve flyovers – CM

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KUCHING: The cost of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system will be controlled as it will not involve any flyover, said Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.

The LRT system is expected to be implemented in the next three years to link Kuching, Kota Samarahan and Serian.

“It will be implemented within these three years because we’ve already done the feasibility studies. It will be land-based because we have the land and the land is not congested yet,” Abang Johari told the media after delivering his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly Complex yesterday.

“We must have the confidence to implement it.”

When asked whether the state has the capacity to implement such a mammoth project, he quipped, “You think we can’t?”

In his winding-up speech, the Chief Minister said the development of each mode of public transport system, be it the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or the LRT, would be guided by the expected demand and suitability of each mode to serve the needs of the people.

“I wish to assure the august House that I am talking on the advice of my planners who have been working on this since early this year and based on the study that has been done by experts from Hong Kong and Singapore,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the LRT will be developed in stages to serve as triggers for the development and growth of Kuching and its surrounding areas.

“In the long term, we can envisage greater Kuching to encompass not just Kota Samarahan and Padawan, but also Bako, Damai, Lundu, Bau, and Serian. But the centre of that public transport system is the Kuching International Airport with connections to various parts of Kuching City itself,” he explained.

Abang Johari, who is also Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources, pointed out that in the greater Kuching area, car ownership could rise by 25 per cent from the current 320,000 to 400,000 cars in the next few years.

He suggested that the initial basic LRT structure should be from the Kuching International Airport to Kuching City, Kota Samarahan, Damai, Padawan, and Serian.

“We can build the required real estate around these LRT stations based on the concept of Transit-Oriented Density (TOD) development. If we do not start building our LRT now, our land cost will increase in future and we may need more roads, more highways as well as more flyovers to be built which will cost us billions of ringgit,” he said.

Recently, Abang Johari said the LRT project will be implemented by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).

On a related issue, he said by 2030, it is possible for greater Kuching to have a population of more than a million people.

“This will be a good critical mass for the Kuching population and economy to grow. And when Kuching is properly planned, with good connectivity in ICT and transport, the natural rate of growth of the population will rise by more Sarawakians staying back or coming back to live as good jobs can be found at home.

“We can also envisage Sarawakians from other parts of Sarawak coming to live in Kuching because good jobs can be found here. Furthermore, foreign talents may wish to come and live and work in Kuching because good jobs can be found here.

“In fact, the challenge for city planning today is how to redesign the city that is attractive to technology-savvy talents of the millennials, who are very happy to live in small comfortable rooms with just their laptops and their mobile phones – and of course an Internet connection. They, of course, also want a good public transport system as they may not wish to own a car,” he added.