MRT Putrajaya Line Phase Two expected to reduce traffic congestion heading to KL

PUTRAJAYA - The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Putrajaya Line Phase Two which will be operational on March 16 is expected to reduce congestion, especially on roads and highways leading to Kuala Lumpur city centre.

Lately, road users especially those from Putrajaya and Seremban were caught in massive traffic jams on the Maju Expressway and Sungai Besi Expressway which had caused delay in getting to work or other destinations.

Stretching a distance of 40.2 kilometres (km) from Kampung Batu to Putrajaya Sentral, the Phase Two line involves a number of hot spot locations or stations including Sungai Besi, Chan Sow Lin and Ampang Park which are the focus of the working population.

The MRT Putrajaya Line will also have interchange station services to connect to the Kelana Jaya light rail transit (LRT), Kajang MRT and KL monorail.

Overall, the MRT Putrajaya Line involves a 57.7km route from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya Sentral, with 36 stations including nine underground stations and 49 train sets.

MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim during the operational review of the Putrajaya line today said that the grade of automation of all trains on the Putrajaya MRT line is at level four (GoA4) or the trains are controlled automatically without human involvement.

He said the automation system is equipped with the latest technology that is fully controlled from the operations centre in Sungai Buloh. "With the sophisticated automated system, it is like using robotics, we need to ensure that the skills of the individual who operates the system are at optimal level," he said.

Earlier, media practitioners were given the opportunity to experience the MRT ride from Putrajaya Sentral to Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) station which took about one hour and 15 minutes, to and fro, with no stops in between.

A check by Bernama also found that the HKL station near the hospital's Institute of Urology and Nephrology is an exceptionally user-friendly station with escalators and stairs that are not too high in addition to a travelator like those found at airport terminals.

According to Mohd Zarif, such user-friendly initiatives were implemented taking into account the welfare and condition of passengers who are patients heading for HKL.

In addition, he said the cashless payment method that currently uses Touch 'n Go card may also be expanded to include credit and debit cards, but this has yet to be implemented.

"However, the payment machines at MRT stations have been equipped with payment transaction systems to cater to those using ATM cards or smart watches in future," he said adding that Prasarana Malaysia Berhad would be making an announcement on the matter.

Meanwhile, he also encouraged passengers to use the unlimited travel pass worth RM50 per month, My50, which is cost saving.

The MRT Putrajaya Line Phase Two will be opened to users from 3pm on March 16 after is official launch by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Earlier, the MRT Putrajaya Line Phase One from Kwasa Damansara to Kampung Batu commenced operation on June 16 last year.

The RM30.53 billion Putrajaya MRT line is expected to transport 104 000 passengers daily. - BERNAMA