RapidKL Light Rail Transit

RapidKL Light Rail Transit or RapidKL LRT is a light rail transit system (rapid transit in central Kuala Lumpur) serving a large part of the Klang Valley conurbation in Malaysia. It is owned by Syarikat Prasarana Negara and operated by RapidKL, a major public transport company in the conurbation.^[1] The rail network consists of the Ampang Line and the Kelana Jaya Line, which were opened in 1995 and 1998 respectively. Along with the KTM Komuter and Kuala Lumpur Monorail networks, this system constitutes the core of public transport in Kuala Lumpur with an average daily ridership of 326,000 in 2008, about 83% of the bus network's 392,000 operated by the same company during that period.^[2] The Ampang and Kelana Jaya lines were constructed and initially operated by different owners; Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn. Bhd. for the Ampang Line and Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik for the Kelana Jaya Line. In 2004, operational aspects of the two LRT lines were transferred to RapidKL under the second phase of the restructuring process of Kuala Lumpur's public transportation network.

The network has 50 stations with 56 kilometres of lines that operate on standard gauge. Sri Rampai LRT station was not in operation since the beginning of revenue service on the line until December 2010. These stations are scattered throughout Kuala Lumpur, with several stops close to or within the peripheral regions of Selangor. Train services operate from 6.00 a.m and typically end before midnight daily with frequencies varying from approximately three minutes during peak hours to twenty-three minutes during non-peak hours.^[3]

Several extensions to the RapidKL Light Rail Transit network have been announced. The Puchong extension entails the extension of the Ampang Line from its southern terminus in Sri Petaling to the suburb of Putra Heights in the Petaling district of Selangor, passing through Puchong and Bandar Kinrara. The Subang Jaya extension involves the extension of the Kelana Jaya Line from its western terminus in Kelana Jaya to Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya and UEP Subang Jaya, with the new terminus in Putra Heights.^[4] The MRT Line 1, which will operate as part of a larger mass rapid transit system linking Damansara in the northwestern region of Kuala Lumpur to Cheras in the southeast via the city centre, is projected to be completed by 2016. This new mass rapid transit system will be operated by RapidKL separately from the Kelana Jaya Line and the Ampang Line, although there will be several interchange stations with the two aforementioned lines throughout the network.^[5]

Infrastructure

Current network

The Ampang Line consists of two sub-lines, one a north-south line and one heading eastward.^[6] The Chan Sow Lin-Sri Petaling route serves the southern part of Kuala Lumpur. The Chan Sow Lin-Ampang route primarily serves the suburb of Ampang in Selangor and the town of Pudu in Kuala Lumpur, both of which are located in the northeastern region of the Klang Valley. Both lines converge at Chan Sow Lin; the merged line leads north, terminating at Sentul Timur LRT station.

The Kelana Jaya Line consists of a single line that connects Petaling Jaya in the west to Gombak in the northeast, passing through the city centre and various low density residential areas further north in Kuala Lumpur. The line has a total of 870 individual bridges, the longest of which has a 68m span.^[7]

The Ampang Line and the Kelana Jaya Line intersect at Masjid Jamek LRT station.

Stations

Since the Kelana Jaya and Ampang lines were intended to be operated by different owners during the planning and construction phase, both lines have unique and distinct station designs. Except for five underground stops between Pasar Seni and Ampang Park on the Kelana Jaya Line, the entirety of the LRT is elevated or at-grade. The Ampang Line consists of elevated and at-grade stations, while the Kelana Jaya Line comprises underground and elevated stations, in addition to one unused at-grade station. All trains are air-conditioned.

The Kelana Jaya Line runs in a northeast-southwesterly direction, consisting primarily of elevated stops and a handful of underground and at-grade stations. Of a total of 24 stations, 16 are elevated, and 5 stops are underground. The only at-grade station, Sri Rampai, is currently incomplete and closed since a construction project it is supposed to serve has been halted. The service depot is located in Lembah Subang.

The stations, like those of the Ampang Line, are styled in several types of architectural designs. Elevated stations, in most parts, were constructed in four major styles with distinctive roof designs for specific portions of the line. The KL Sentral station, added later, features a design more consistent with the Stesen Sentral station building. Underground stations, however, tend to feature unique concourse layout and vestibules, and feature floor-to-ceiling platform screen doors to prevent platform-to-track intrusions. 13 stations (including two terminal stations and the five subway stations) utilize a single island platform, while 11 others utilize two side platforms. Stations with island platforms allow easy interchange between north-bound and south-bound trains without requiring one to walk down/up to the concourse level.

On the Ampang Line, the system includes a total of 25 stations: eleven along the Chan Sow Lin-Sentul Timur line, and seven along the Ampang LRT station-Chan Sow Lin line and the Sri Petaling-Chan Sow Lin line each. The service depot and primary train depot for the system is situated before the Ampang terminal station and the end of the Ampang-bound line. A secondary train depot is located after the Sri Petaling station.

The line between the Plaza Rakyat station to the Sentul Timur station is strictly elevated, with the line between the Bandaraya station to the Titiwangsa station running along the Gombak River. The Chan Sow Lin-Ampang line is primarily surface leveled, while the Chan Sow Lin-Plaza Rakyat line and the Sri Petaling-Chan Sow Lin line use a combination of surface leveled and elevated tracks. There are no subway lines in the system.

Connectivity to other rail transit systems

Rolling stock

The rolling stock of the Kelana Jaya Line, in use since the opening of the line in 1998, consists of a fleet of 35 Mark II Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) trains^[8] with related equipment and services supplied by the Bombardier Group. The ART trains consist of two-electric multiple units, which serve as either a driving car or trailer car depending on its direction of travel. The trains utilise linear motors and draw power from a third rail located at the side of the steel rails. The plating in between the running rails is used for accelerating and decelerating the train. The reaction plate is semi-magnetised, which pulls the train along as well as helps it to slow down.

The ART is essentially driverless, automated to travel along lines and stop at designated stations for a limited amount of time. Nevertheless, manual override control panels are provided at each end of the trains for use in an event of an emergency.

Since October 2006, the operator has ordered 35 new 4-car trainsets to be delivered starting from 2008. Due to some delays from the manufacturer, the delivery was delayed to November 2008. After extensive series of testing, the first batch of trains began operation on Dec 30, 2009.^[9]

The rolling stock of the Ampang Lines consists of a fleet of 90 Adtranz standard gauge trains manufactured by Walkers Limited, an engineering and company. The trains consist of electric multiple units, which draw power from the underside of a third rail installed along a side of the line. All cars in each train are fitted with both current collector and motors. The trains are manned, with driver cabs occupying the tips of the trains.

The trains come in two trainset configurations. The first and most common variation is the six-car trainset, which consists of three sets of two EMUs (2+2+2) and utilises the maximum platform length of the lines' stations. Each two EMU sets at the front and rear consist of one driving and one non-driving motor car, while the two EMUs between are non-driving motors. There are no gangway connections between the two-car sets. The second variation is a four-car trainset, a more obscure configuration that consists of only two EMU sets (2+2) of one driving car and one non-driving motor at each end, thus with two-thirds the capacity of the more common six-car set. The 2+2 trainsets were once used in full in the service until the massive deployment of 2+2+2 trainsets.

Each car has 3 bogies, 2 powered end bogies and one trailing bogie under the central articulation. The end cars, numbered 1101 to 1260 have driver cabs. The middle car number 2201 to 2230 have concealed driver control panels to enable the car to be moved around the depot independently.

Expansion

Extensions to existing lines

On 29 August 2006, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak announced that the western end of the Kelana Jaya Line would be extended to the suburbs of Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya and UEP Subang Jaya (USJ), which are located to the south-west of Kuala Lumpur. The extension will be part of a RM10 billion plan to expand Kuala Lumpur's public transport network.

The expansion plan will also see the Ampang Line extended to the suburb of Puchong and the south-west of Kuala Lumpur The plan also involved the construction of an entirely new line, tentatively called the Kota Damansara-Cheras Line which later on changed to mass rapid transit line rather than the original planning, running from Kota Damansara in the western portion of the city, to Cheras which lies to the south-east of Kuala Lumpur.

According to news reports, tenders of the line extension is expected to be out in Q1 2009. It is expected large local constructions players will take in track and civil works, fare collection, and systems works involving power supply, signaling and communication worth RM 1 billion. Extensions will involve the construction of 24 new stations and 32 km of new tracks.^[10] It is expected that 35 new trains for the Kelana Jaya Line and 20 for the Ampang line will be added to the rolling stock.^[11]

Soil testing has been seen sighted in Subang Jaya in mid February although the project has not been given a final approval yet from the government.^[12]

It has been learned by April 2009, that design contracts has been awarded to HSS Integrated and Minconsult. Meanwhile, project management has been awarded to Opus, a subsidiary of United Engineers Group. Extension of the lines is expected to cost around MYR 3 billion for each line.^[13]

Asset owner of the project, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, has invited locally incorporated companies to submit the “expression of interest (EOI)” to participate in the extension and upgrading of the KL light rail transit system project on May 2009. This is considered as a pre-qualification bidding process. The EOI, which has no ending date covers two major jobs, which are civil construction works and mechanical/electrical works. The jobs is expected to be RM7 billion in which RM1 billion will be set aside to purchase new rolling stocks from Bombardier.^[14]

On 25 July 2009, RapidKL, the operator of the lines has conducted a town-hall meeting with Subang Jaya and USJ residents concerning the extension of the Kelana Jaya Line towards their neighbourhood. Although the proposed alignment shown is still under proposal phase, it is to believe that the line will continue from the current terminus at Kelana Jaya towards Lembah Subang depot and go through Subang Jaya Komuter station, Jalan Jengka, passing by Shah Alam Expressway towards The Summit USJ mall and go through USJ 8, USJ19 and USJ21 before heading towards Putra Heights for the new terminus. The operator said there will be three Park and Ride facilities in Subang Jaya and hopes the extension will complete by 2013.^[15]

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad has formally announce its plans to extend the two lines and begins the public display of the plan for three months beginning September 15, 2009. The public display aims to gather public input as well showing where all the lines and stations will be constructed.^[16][17]

On June 2010, Prasarana announced that it had obtained approval to build the extension, although the extension has to be built in two phases as certain parts of the extensions have yet to obtain approval. The stations that are in the first approved phase is a 9.2 km track from Kelana Jaya LRT station to USJ near Shah Alam Expressway for the Kelana Jaya line and 7.4 km track from Sri Petaling LRT station to Bandar Kinrara 3. Prasarana also announce that preliminary work involving relocating utility lines is expected to begin in mid-July while the actual construction of the lines will commence by end of 2010 after the tendering process.^[18][19]

On November 2010, Prasarana announced that it has awarded RM1.7 billion for first phase of the project. The winners include Trans Resource Corp Bhd for the Kelana Jaya line extension portion and Bina Puri Holdings Bhd and Tim Sekata for the Ampang line extension. UEM Builders Bhd and Intria Bina Sdn Bhd were appointed as subcontractors for the fabrication and supply of segmental box girder jobs for the Kelana Jaya line while Bina Puri and Tim Sekata will do it for the Ampang line.^[20]

On December 2010, local authority Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya approved the location of seven LRT stations. They are at SS15, SS17, USJ 10, USJ 15 and USJ 21. All the station aforementioned are of Kelana Jaya Line. Two stations along the Bukit Jalil - Puchong highway also have been approved by the local authority.^[21]

On June 2010, Parasana announced that CMC Engineering-Colas Rail-Uniway join venture won the contract to build the Kelana Jaya Line extension. The contact is work RM 673.9 million. The joint-venture company is the only company to fulfill all tender conditions, beating out the others. ^[22]

On July 2011, Parasana announced that MRCB and Sunway won tenders for Package B for the Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line respectively. The tender is valued at RM 1.33 billion for the Ampang Line and RM 569 million for the Kelana Jaya Line. Package B consists of construction and completion of facilities works that include the fabrication and delivery of segmental box girders. Works is expected to start on August 2011 and complete 20 to 30 months later. ^[23]

MRT Line 1

More than one million Klang Valley residents will benefit from the much awaited new Kota Damansara-Cheras rail transit line. The Government had earlier said the new line and extensions should be ready by 2014. Sources said with the average construction period taking three to four years, work would have to start by the end of this year.

The 40 km route covers some of the most densely populated areas in the Klang Valley such as Damansara and Cheras as well as the fast growing area of Kota Damansara. It will also serve the heart of the Golden Triangle, the business and financial hub of Kuala Lumpur. Currently, the area is only served by KL Monorail, which is already suffering from overcrowding.

The new line, which sources said would cost over RM4billion and will be mostly elevated, will provide the much needed expansion to the current 56 km, 48-station light rail transit network, especially in view of the rising fuel prices and the new emphasis on public transport. The line was announced in October 2006 by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak but little has been heard about it since then.

The alignment, made available to The Star, showed the new line running from Kota Damansara along Persiaran Surian to the Damansara-Puchong Expressway and then heading towards the city centre along the Sprint Expressway, through Bangsar Baru and Jalan Bangsar. It will then run parallel to the existing Kelana Jaya Line to KL Sentral, Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek before heading to the Golden Triangle along Jalan Raja Chulan. The route will then pass Pasar Rakyat in Bukit Bintang and then Jalan Tun Razak where it will join Jalan Cheras. It will continue along the road and the Cheras-Kajang Expressway to the Balakong interchange near Cheras Batu 11. Passengers will be able to switch with the existing Kelana Jaya Line at Bangsar, KL Sentral, Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek; and the Ampang Line at Masjid Jamek and Maluri. There will be around 30 stations along the line, including the interchange stations.

Sources said the route was a “desktop alignment” which would form the basis for the eventual line. The number of stations has also not been finalised. The final alignment and number of stations is unlikely to vary in any major way from the “desktop” plan. As with the other lines, the new line will be owned by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd and operated by RapidKL.

While the Government has yet to announce when work will begin on the new line, sources pointed to the “positive statements” by Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop. Nor had announced that public transport would be getting more incentives, allocations and assistance in Budget 2009 and future budgets. Sources said the Government was also currently conducting the mid-term review of the 9th Malaysia Plan and there were concerted efforts to get the new line in.

On September 2008, the Chief Executive Officer of SPNB, the asset owner of the Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line said that the line may be upgraded to a Mass Rapid Transit system as the line will connect two high density areas of Kuala Lumpur. The company expects a daily ridership of more than 300,000 in which an MRT system is more suitable than an LRT system. However, a study will be done first before any decision is made. He added that an integrated transport platform will be built with the new line in areas of Damansara or Sungai Buloh similar to the one that is currently built in Bandar Tasik Selatan station.^[24] The CEO also said that the detailed design stage will begin in 2nd quarter 2009.^[25]

On June 2010, Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak announce plans to build three Mass Rapid Transit lines which compromise a Sungai Buloh to Cheras, Sungai Buloh to Serdang and a loop line around the city's edges. Length of the lines is to be between 180 kilometers to 200 kilometers with a carrying capacity of 2 million people a day. Expected cost of the project is RM36 billion. It is not sure whether the line is part of the Kota Damansara to Cheras line or a completely new line.^[26][27]

On December 2010, the prime minister has announced that the new MRT lines has been approved by the cabinet and the construction of the lines will begin in July 2011. He explains that the first line that will be built will be from Sungai Buloh to Kajang through the city center.^[28] The government has appointed MMC-Gamuda JV Sdn Bhd as the project manager. The whole project will be divided into nine parcels in which will be done on open tender basis. MMC-Gamuda will be barred from bidding for the tender except for the tunneling works (the most expensive portion). The project will introduce 60 km or rail tracks plus 35 new stations.^[29]

On 14 February 2011, SPAD begin a 3-month mandatory public display at participating municipals. During the public display, the alignment, plans and feedback will be shown and taken into account.

On August 2011, the government announced that a new company called MRT Co. will be created to be the project and asset owner, which at that time being held by Parasana, starting on September 1 2011. The MRT Co's project management and technical team will be led by Marcus Levon Karakashian, who had been involved in the implementation of Singapore's MRT and London's Jubilee Line extension. The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) will remain as the supervising agency of the MRT project while MMC-Gamuda will continue to play its role as the project delivery partner. ^[30]

MRT Line 2

MRT Line 2 will be an orbital line around Kuala Lumpur. The line will be built in two phases; Sentul Timur - Mirahja - Ampang which will be completed by 2020 and Ampang - Sentul Timur which will be completed by 2030. ^[31]

MRT Line 3

The third line will be built from Selayang toward Seri Kembangan which will be built in two phases: Selayang - Pandan Jaya will be completed by 2020 and Pandan Jaya - Seri Kembangan which will be completed by 2030. ^[31]

Klang - Kelana Jaya Line

Parasana announced during the MRT launch day that they planned to build a new LRT line from Klang to Kelana Jaya. It is unconfirmed whether this will be an extension to the current Kelana Jaya Line or it will be a totally new system integrated with the current line. The line is expected to be built in 2020. ^[31]

KL Monorail Extension

KL Monorail is planned to be extend to Jalan Klang Lama. The constructions of the extension is expected to start in 2012 and end by 2018.^[31]

Fares and ticketing

RapidKL LRT implements an automatic fare collection system with stored value tickets and single journey tickets issued in the form of magnetic stripe cards at every station. Tickets can be purchased either from ticket vending machines or at station counters found at all LRT stations.^[32] Turnstiles are located at the entrances to train platforms. Rail fares range from RM 0.70 to RM 2.80 (RM 2.50 for the Kelana Jaya Line) depending on the distance travelled by commuters along the network.^[33]

Touch 'n Go stored value cards are also accepted at fare gates on the RapidKL LRT network as well as the RapidKL bus network, the KL Monorail route and the KTM Komuter system to improve integration.^[34] Touch 'n Go cards are available at all LRT stations for a RM 10 deposit.^[35] The Touch 'n Go system is also used in the production of RapidKL's monthly passes, called Rapidpasses. These passes can be purchased by frequent users of the RapidKL LRT and bus networks, which entitles them to unlimited rides for thirty days on all RapidKL buses and LRT stations. LRT Rapidpasses are valid only on the LRT network and they cost RM 100 each while Integrated Rapidpasses, which are valid on both the LRT and bus networks, cost RM 150 each.^[36] Rapidpass Pelajar is a variant of the conventional Rapidpass that can be purchased by students for a 50% discount.

Concessionary fares are available to people with disabilities such as physical handicaps, learning disorders, blindness, deafness or cerebral palsy, provided that they are registered with the Department of Social Welfare. The concessionary fares range from RM 0.30 to RM 1.40.

On June 14, Parasana announced that a new ticketing system will be introduced in July 2011 with full integration made by 30 November 2011. The new ticketing system will finally combine all rail systems in Klang Valley under one roof with the exception of KTM Komuter. The new system will feature a chip coin system for single journeys and a new contact-less smart card system for monthly passes in addition to traditional Touch 'n Go card. The new system was develop at a cost of RM 115.2 million. ^[37]

Criticisms

The lines receive a barrage of criticism. Key points of criticisms are:-

• Poor integration between Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line.
• Even poorer integration with other rail operators such as KL Monorail and KTM Komuter.
• Overcrowding on the Kelana Jaya Line, resulting in unpleasant experiences.
• Underuse of the Ampang Line
• Unreliable ticket vending machine which results in long lines at the manual ticket counter.
• The announcement is not comparable to the MRT in Singapore by telling them things like Door Are Closing, Interchange station to notify the exchange with other MRT, and many more. Unfortunately, Rapid KL service, announcement in the train is less satisfying.

The network operator, RapidKL is working the resolve these issues and improve the service by:-

• Masjid Jamek LRT station will be upgraded to ensure seamless integration between Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line.
• Hang Tuah station and Titiwangsa station will be upgraded to ensure seamless integration between Ampang Line and KL Monorail.
• Ticket Vending Machine can now give up to 5 tickets at once and (finally) accept multiple bank notes.
• Extending the Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line to Putra Heights which will serve Puchong and Subang Jaya area to increase usage on both lines. It is expected that the Putra Heights terminus will integrate both lines.
• Purchasing 35 new trains for the Kelana Jaya Line to increase the capacity by 100% and increase train frequency. It is expected that the train set will start operation in 2009.
• Improved integration with RapidKL buses to increase ridership on both lines.
• Introducing new, additional fare gates which only accept Touch 'n Go card to encourage electronic payment methods.
  • Introducing Touch 'n Go reload kiosk on select stations.

Gallery

References

External links

• Syarikat Prasarana Negara's official site
• RapidKL's official site
• Official website for the Kelana Jaya and Ampang Line extension proposal
• Network map (to scale)