PROTOTYPE ART VEHICLE TO ARRIVE IN KUCHING NEXT MONTH -- SARAWAK TRANSPORT MINISTER
KUCHING, July 12 (Bernama) -- The prototype Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) vehicle for the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project is expected to arrive here next month, Sarawak Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin said.
He said the vehicle, shipped from China, would undergo a two-month engineering run at the Kuching Isthmus in September and October in preparation for Stage Two of a Proof-of-Concept (POC) exercise scheduled this November.
According to him, a part of the construction for the KUTS project which is implemented by Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), would be expedited to enable the exercise to be carried out.
“Stage One of the POC exercise was conducted in China in February this year,” he said in a statement today.
The minister said he made a site inspection yesterday and was confident with Sarawak Metro's commitment to complete Phase One of the KUTS project, based on the cooperation between the company and Sarawak Public Works Department (JKRS), as well as other government agencies.
“This synergy ensures the smooth implementation of both projects and aims to mitigate potential inconveniences for road users on the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway,” Lee said.
Phase One of the KUTS project involved the construction of a 27.6km Blue Line connecting Rembus in Kota Samarahan to Hikmah Exchange in Kuching city centre, as well as the development of a 12.3km Red Line from Kuching Sentral to Pending and a 30km Green Line from Pending to Damai Central.
He said the primary goal of the KUTS project, estimated to cost about RM6 billion, was to alleviate traffic congestion in the Greater Kuching area and to provide a reliable, efficient and modern public transport service for the people,
The first phase of the ART operations is scheduled to commence in stages from the fourth quarter of 2025 up to the fourth quarter of 2027.
“Central to the project is the implementation of a zero-emission public transport system, with the ART fleet powered by green hydrogen. Complementing the ART service will be a hydrogen-powered feeder bus network, ensuring convenient "first- and last-mile connectivity" for commuters,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
