Lee (seventh left) presents a souvenir to Peng.
KUCHING (May 29): The Ministry of Transport Sarawak received a courtesy call from Chinese company CRRC Zhixing (Zhuzhou) to monitor the preparation works of the state’s Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) project.
The ministry in a statement today said the delegation from China was led by its managing director Peng Zhonghong and comprised senior officials and representatives from EPR Mobilus Global Rail JV Sdn Bhd (EPR Mobilus).
The Chinese company is the manufacturer and supplier for the rolling stock of ART vehicles to System Package Contractor 1, which was awarded to EPR Mobilus.
“The purpose of the visit was to better understand the Kuching Urban Transportation System route alignment, which encompasses the Blue Line, Red Line and Green Line, for the ART project.
“Secondly, the delegation aims to monitor the preparation of the ART assembly factory for the arrival of the ART prototype which has been scheduled for July this year,” it said.
Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin in the statement said he believed the visit will contribute to the development of the ART system in Kuching, as well as the public transport system in Sarawak as a whole.
“As the first city outside China to adopt hydrogen-powered ART system, the expertise from China will help revolutionise the state’s transportation landscape. Through their guidance, we can optimise our resources, enhance the efficiency of operations and provide a safe, reliable, green and environment-friendly transportation for our people,” he said.
Earlier this year, Lee together with his deputy Datuk Dr Jerip Susil and ministry staff paid a working visit to China for the ART’s proof-of-concept exercise.