RapidKL invests in network expansion-
Kuala Lumpur’s light rail network, termed RapidKL, has been witnessing rapid expansion to keep up with the city’s population growth. During 2016, around 36 km of network was added under the light rail extension project (LEP), and another 36 km of light rail transit (LRT) network is expected to be added by 2020. The LEP is one of the national key result areas of the Government Transformation Programme, which aims to increase the modal share of public transport from the current 21 per cent to 40 per cent by 2030.
Growth story
Light-rail was first introduced to Kuala Lumpur’s public transport network in 1996 with the operationalisation of the Ampang Line, followed by the Kelana Jaya Line in 1998. Initially, both lines were owned by separate government entities – Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sendirian Berhad and Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik. Ownership was later transferred to the developer – Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) in 2004. Later, in 2007, the ownership of the 8.6 km Monorail Line was also transferred to Prasarana, making it the sole owner of all light rail lines in Kuala Lumpur. All lines are operated by Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd (Rapid Rail), a fully owned subsidiary of Prasarana.
With the completion of the LEP in June 2016, which involved extensions of the Ampang and Kelana Jaya lines, services have been segregated into four lines for passenger convenience. The Ampang-Chan Sow Lin section is now termed as the Ampang Line, while the Putra Heights-Sentul Timur section is termed as the Sri Petaling Line.
Rolling stock and technology
Although initially, the Ampang and Kelana Jaya lines deployed basic fixed block signalling, over the years, Prasarana has adopted improved technologies, and currently, all lines, including the Kuala Lumpur Monorail, deploy SelTrac communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling systems, supplied by Thales. In fact, after the June 2016 extension, the Kelana Jaya Line has become the longest fully automated driverless LRT line in the world.
In terms of rolling stock, all three lines deploy different types. The oldest rolling stock, 90 Adtranz light rail vehicles supplied by Walkers Limited, is currently being replaced by newer trains.
Under the LEP, Prasarana ordered 14 four-car driverless trains from the Bombardier Hartasuma Consortium for the Kelana Jaya Line; and 50 four-car trains from China-based CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Company Limited for the Ampang Line. The CRCC trains, termed AMY, were ordered under an April 2012 contract for 20 trains and an option for 30 more exercised in October 2014. CRCC set up a wholly owned subsidiary, CRRC Kuala Lumpur Maintenance Sendirian Berhad, for maintaining the AMY trains.
The first of the 14 Innovia Metro 300 train sets were delivered in January 2016, while as of September 2016, around 35 AMY trains had been delivered.
Integrated fare collection
In August 2015, Malaysia’s public transport regulator, Transit Acquirer Sdn Bhd, awarded an AUD 27 million contract to Australian company Vix Technology to design, install, operate and maintain a unified multimodal ticketing system for Kuala Lumpur and the wider Klang Valley. The system will enable payment of rail, metro, Monorail and bus fares using a single smart card and is scheduled to be operational from early 2017. It will support payment through contactless smart cards, bank cards (debit and credit cards) and near field communication-enabled mobile phones.
Currently, RapidKL deploys single-journey tokens and contactless smart cards for fare collection. The fare collection system was deployed by US-based Cubic Transportation System. There are three types of contactless smart cards available to passengers, and Prasarana offers 50 per cent reduced fares for smart card users to promote cashless payments. As of September 2016, 66 per cent of passengers used cashless payment methods.
Planned expansion
Currently, Prasarana is developing a new LRT line, which is envisaged to connect two million people between Bandar Utama and Klang by 2020. The project is being developed in line with the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley Land Public Transport Master Plan. Malaysia-based MRCB George Kent Sendirian Berhad has been appointed as project delivery partner, and the estimated investment for the project is MYR 9 billion.
The line is planned to cover 37 km with 26 stations, and will provide interchanges with the bus rapid transit and future metro networks. Once completed, LRT-3 is expected to have an average daily ridership of around 74,000 passengers.
Six-car trains are planned to be procured as rolling stock, and advanced signalling technologies, including CBTC with automated train control, will be deployed.
It will be the first rail project with green technology in Malaysia. LRT-3 will feature the implementation of rainwater harvesting technology, a noise reduction system, a better energy management system and natural ventilation in the station’s design.
Conclusion
Going forward, by 2022, Kuala Lumpur’s urban-rail network (including LRT, mass rapid transit (MRT) and monorail) is expected to increase by around 119 km, to reach around 240 km. Overall, the year 2016 will be cited as a landmark for Kuala Lumpur public transport, with the completion of the LEP project, and the opening of the first MRT line in December 2016.
