Rapid Rail

Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd
Overview
Owner Prasarana Malaysia
Locale Klang Valley, Malaysia
Transit type Rapid transit
Number of lines Current:  3   4   5   8   9 
Future:  11 
Number of stations 116
Daily ridership 537,757 (2017)[1]
(Increase 15.4%)
Annual ridership 196.281 million (2015)
Website myrapid.com.my
Operation
Began operation 16 December 1996 (1996-12-16)
Technical
System length 159.2 km (98.9 mi) (total)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
& ALWEG straddle-beam

Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd (styled as rapidrail) was established to place all three rail operators for Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn Bhd (STAR-LRT) previously operate and currently known as Ampang Line, Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik Sdn Bhd (PUTRA-LRT) for Kelana Jaya Line and KL Starrail Sdn Bhd on KL Monorail – under one administrating umbrella in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[2]

The Rapid Rail network contains three rail lines comprising the light rail transit of Ampang and the light rapid transit of Kelana Jaya Lines,[3] with the KL Monorail line being the other major component of the network.

These rapid transit systems were run under the own brand name of "Rapid KL". Along with the KTM Komuter lines, owned and operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad, and the Express Rail Link airport lines, this system constitutes the entire public rail network of Kuala Lumpur. The network comprises 80 stations with 100.1 kilometres (62.2 mi) of route among the three lines. The two LRT Lines operate on standard gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)) rail, while the KL Monorail operates on an ALWEG straddle beam. Train services operate from 6.00 a.m and typically end before midnight daily,[4] with frequencies varying from approximately three minutes during peak hours to fourteen minutes during non-peak hours.[5]

The Ampang and Kelana Jaya lines were constructed and initially operated by different owners: Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn. Bhd. for the Ampang Line starting in 1995, and Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik for the Kelana Jaya Line starting in 1998. In 2004, operational aspects of the two LRT lines were transferred to Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd under the second phase of the restructuring process of Kuala Lumpur's public transportation network. The KL Monorail was initially owned and operated by KL Infrastructure Group, from 2003 until 2007, until the company declared bankruptcy. As a result, Prasarana purchased the monorail and gave operating rights to their subsidiary Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd.

History

Malaysia's efforts to revolutionise commuting began in 1984 when the then Minister of Federal Territory Shahrir Abdul Samad released details of a Light Rail Transit (LRT) implementation study for Kuala Lumpur. Many were sceptical over its implementation, especially when financing was a major question. The study, undertaken by a Belgian consortium in association with Spie Batignolles of France in cooperation with Master Carriage Malaysia Sdn Bhd, was for an urban or suburban LRT system - powered by overhead electric lines or catenaries. The system - covering 18 stations between Petaling Jaya and Sentul - was targeted for implementation in 1984 and completion in 1988. Unfortunately, the project did not take off.[6]

But the idea for electric commuting did not die there. It probably gave birth to two systems of electric rail commuting - the metropolitan commuter LRT train service by Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn Bhd (STAR) and the double-tracking commuter train system called KTM Komuter. The KTM Komuter, which began commercial operations in August 1995, is probably the closest system to the one proposed by the Belgian consortium as it uses overhead catenaries.

Fares and ticketing

Rapid Rail 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.[7] 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.[8] Table with fares from 0.70 to 5.10.[9]

Touch 'n Go stored value cards are also accepted at fare gates on the Rapid Rail network as well as the Rapid Bus network, the KL Monorail route and the KTM Komuter system to improve integration.[10] Touch 'n Go cards are available at all LRT stations for a RM 10 deposit.[11] The Touch 'n Go system is also used in the production of Rapid's monthly passes, called Rapidpass. These passes can be purchased by frequent users of the Rapid rail and bus networks, which entitles them to unlimited rides for thirty days on all Rapid buses and LRT stations. LRT Rapidpass are valid only on the LRT network and they cost RM 100 each while Integrated Rapidpass, which are valid on both the LRT and bus networks, cost RM 150 each.[12] Rapidpass Pelajar is a variant of the conventional Rapidpass that can be purchased by students for a 50% discount on fares.

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 14 June 2011, Prasana announced that a new ticketing system will be introduced in July 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.[13]

Infrastructure

The Ampang Line consists of two sub-lines, one a north-south line and one heading eastward.[14] 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.[15]

The Ampang Line and the Kelana Jaya Line intersect at Masjid Jamek and Putra Heights.

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. The service depot is located in 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.


Current network

Code Line Stations Length Began operation Termini
 3 
Ampang Line
18
14 km
 16 December 1996  AG1  SP1  Sentul Timur  AG18  Ampang
 4 
Sri Petaling Line
29
45.1 km
 11 July 1998  SP1  AG1  Sentul Timur  SP31  KJ37  Putra Heights
 5 
Kelana Jaya Line
37[3][16]
46.4 km[3][16]
 1 September 1998  KJ1  Gombak  KJ37  SP31  Putra Heights
 8 
KL Monorail
11[17]
8.6 km[17]
 31 August 2003  MR1  KL Sentral Monorail  MR11  SP3  Titiwangsa
 9 
Sungai Buloh–Kajang Line
31[18]
51 km[18]
16 December 2016  SBK1   KA08  Sungai Buloh  SBK35   KB06  Kajang
TOTAL
116
[Note 1]
159.2 km
  

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[19] 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.[20]

The rolling stock of the Ampang Lines consists of a fleet of 90 standard gauge light rail vehicles manufactured in Australia by Walkers Limited.[21] 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.

Future service

Code Line Status Planned
open		 Stations Length
(km)		 Terminus
 11 
 Bandar Utama–Klang Line Preliminary works 31 August 2020 25 36 Bandar Utama Johan Setia
 12 
 Sungai Buloh–Serdang–Putrajaya Line Preliminary works Phase 1: July 2021
Phase 2: 2022 		36 52.2 Kwasa Damansara
Kampung Batu 		Kampung Batu
Putrajaya
 13 
 Circle Line Under feasibility study TBA 52 40.6 Ampang Sentul Timur

MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line

The line is an under-construction rapid transit line for Kuala Lumpur.[22] The MRT line 1 will use Siemens Inspiro rolling stock. The rolling stock will be driveless and comes in 4-car trainsets which extra 10% length of Ampang Line 6-car trainsets. Expected capacity per trainsets is at 1,200 persons.

LRT Extension Project

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 Subang Jaya which includes Bandar Sunway, USJ and Putra Heights 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 suburbs of Puchong and the south-west of Kuala Lumpur. Initially, the plan involved the construction of an entirely new line, tentatively called the Kota Damansara-Cheras Line which later 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.[23] 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.[24]

Soil testing has been sighted in Subang Jaya in mid February 2009 although the project has not been given a final approval yet from the government.[25]

On April 2009, it was learned that the design contracts has been awarded to HSS Integrated and Minconsult. Meanwhile, project management has been awarded to Opus, a subsidiary of United Engineers Group. The extension is expected to cost around MYR 3 billion for each line.[26]

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.[27]

On 25 July 2009, RapidKL, the operator of the lines has conducted a town-hall meeting with Subang Jaya residents concerning the extension of the Kelana Jaya Line towards their neighbourhood. Although the proposed alignment shown is still under proposal phase, it is believed 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.[28]

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.[29][30]

On June 2010, Prasarana announced that it had obtained approval to build the extension, although the extension had 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.[31][32]

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.[33]

On December 2010, local authority Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya approved and confirmed the location of seven LRT stations in Subang Jaya. They are at Subang Jaya city centre (SJCC), SS15, Jalan Jengka, The Summit (USJ 1), USJ 7, USJ 19 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.[34]

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.[35]

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.[36]

The project was officially launched on 5 March 2012 with the first lift of the first segmental box girders in Subang.[37]

The first phase of the line extension work, a 7.4 km four-station phase from Seri Petaling to Bandar Kinrara (with four new stations: Awan Besar, Muhibbah, Alam Sutera and Kinrara BK5) has opened in October 2015, while the full service on the remaining stations to Putra Heights is expected to commence in March 2016. The extension project is slated to double the ridership on the Ampang Line to more than 400,000 passengers per day.[38]

The entire project is completed and start operation by 30 June 2016.

LRT Bandar Utama-Klang Line Project

The entire project is expected to complete and start operation by 31 August 2020.

Notes

  1. ↑ Counting interchange stations only once. Titiwangsa, Masjid Jamek, Hang Tuah, Chan Sow Lin & Putra Heights. KL Sentral (Kelana Jaya Line) and KL Sentral (KL Monorail) are not the actual interchange station despite the similar name.

References

  1. ↑ "PRASARANA SETS RM17 BILLION IN ECONOMIC RETURNS FOR 2017 TARGET" [Prasarana Sets RM17 Billion in Economic Returns for 2017 Target]. RapidKL,Malaysia. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "Profile - SYARIKAT PRASARANA NEGARA BERHAD". Syarikat Prasarana Negara. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  3. 1 2 3 "LRT". MyRapid (Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad). Retrieved 2014-04-28.
  4. ↑ "Operating Hours". MyRapid (Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad). Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  5. ↑ "Train Frequency". MyRapid (Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad). Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Fauziah, Ismail (18 December 1996). "Answer to transport woes: [Shipping Times Edition]". Business Times, The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad.
  7. ↑ "Rail Transportation in Kuala Lumpur". Japan Railway & Transport Review. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  8. ↑ "Kuala Lumpur". UrbanRail.net. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  9. ↑ "Integrated Fare Table for Ampang & Kelana Jaya LRT, and Monorail Lines" (jpg). MyRapid (Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad). Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "What's Touch 'n Go - Where to Use". Touch 'n Go. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  11. ↑ "Kuala Lumpur - Getting there & around". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  12. ↑ "New Touch 'n Go system at LRT stations and buses next month". The Star. 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010.
  13. ↑ Abas, Marhalim (15 June 2011). "One ticket for LRT and Monorail in November". The Malay Mail. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  14. ↑ "Integrated Urban Transportation System - Riding the Rails". kiat.net. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  15. ↑ "Kuala Lumpur LRT 2 Kelana Jaya Line: PUTRA". Halcrow. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  16. 1 2 "Kelana Jaya Line". Prasarana Malaysia. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  17. 1 2 "KL Monorail Line". Prasarana Malaysia. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  18. 1 2 Sim Leoi Leoi (11 December 2016). "MRT first phase opens on Friday". The Star.
  19. ↑ "Kuala Lumpur Driverless Metro System, Malaysia". RailwayTechnology.com.
  20. ↑ "Three new trains for Kelana Jaya line". The Star. 30 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
  21. ↑ "EDI Wins Light Rail Order Extension", Railway Digest, June 1995, p. 9.
  22. ↑ "MRT Corp". Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  23. ↑ Sharen Kaur (22 December 2008). "Tenders to extend RapidKL LRT may be out in Q1". Business Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  24. ↑ "LRT extension project won’t cost more than RM7bi". The Star. 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012.
  25. ↑ "Soil tests for Subang LRT". Malay Mail. 16 February 2009.
  26. ↑ "KL light rail on track for upgrade". Malaysian Insider. 9 April 2009. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009.
  27. ↑ Yantoultra Ngui Yichen (5 May 2009). "LRT extension works pick up pace". The Edge. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009.
  28. ↑ "Proposed Extension of Kelana Jaya line (NOT finalized)". Transit (Klang Valley). 27 July 2009. Archived from the original on 31 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  29. ↑ "RAILWAY SCHEME FOR THE PROPOSED EXTENSION OF THE KELANA JAY A LINE (LRT 2 Kl) FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION" (PDF). Transitmy.org. 13 September 2009.
  30. ↑ Halim Said (14 September 2009). "Views on Kelana Jaya rail project sought". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  31. ↑ Lim Chia Ying (25 June 2010). "Prasanara Given approval to build LRT lines". The Star. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011.
  32. ↑ Sharen Kaur (25 June 2010). "SPNB to call for LRT tenders by June". Business Times Malaysia.
  33. ↑ "SPNB awards RM1.7bil jobs for LRT extension". The Star. 27 November 2010.
  34. ↑ "MPSJ approves locations of seven LRT stations". New Straits Times. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010.
  35. ↑ Kaur, Sharen (22 June 2011). "CMC-led team 'sidetracks' rivals to win LRT job". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  36. ↑ Mahalingam, Eugene (17 August 2011). "MRCB and Sunway win LRT extension contracts". The Star. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  37. ↑ "PRASARANA TAKES GIANT STEP CLOSER IN BRINGING TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE WITH LAUNCH OF FIRST SBG". Prasarana Bhd. 5 March 2012.
  38. ↑ "AMY Says ‘Hi’ And ‘Travel With Me For Free’". Prasarana Bhd. 31 October 2015.
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