by FAYYADH JAAFAR / pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

THE use of public transportation has been declining since the country entered the endemic phase of Covid-19.

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Putrajaya Line project director Datuk Amiruddin Ma’aris said the expectation for patronage to increase after the announcement of the endemic phase would not materialise as private vehicle ownership continues to rise.

However, he is confident that once the new MRT system becomes operational, usage of public transport will see an upward trend due to convenience.

“Sales for cars and second-hand vehicles have gone up following the announcement of the endemic period,” he said during a press briefing at MRT Kampung Batu Station today.

The station will be part of the first phase of the MRT Putrajaya Line which will be open on June 16, 2022.

The 17.5-km long Putrajaya MRT Line includes nine stations, namely Damansara Damai, Sri Damansara Barat, Sri Damansara Sentral, Sri Damansara Timur, Metro Prima, Kepong Baru, Jinjang, Sri Delima, and Kampung Batu, as well as three original stations from the Kajang Line which are Kwasa Damansara, Kampung Selamat and Sungai Buloh.

These three stations have been operating since 2016, when MRT Kajang Line Phase One was opened. 

However, they have been closed since October last year in order to complete the work of transferring them as part of the new MRT Putrajaya Line.

Passengers will be able to transfer from the MRT Kajang Line to the Putrajaya Line at Kwasa Damansara Station and continue their journeys towards Putrajaya Sentral or Kuala Lumpur City Centre via the Batu Caves-Pulau Sebang KTM Komuter line.

Amiruddin said the transfer from the Kajang Line to the Putrajaya Line was seamless without passengers needing to change platforms.

“Thirteen feeder buses will be available to ferry passengers from the Putrajaya Line to the Kajang Line and vice versa. Park-and-ride facilities will be available at all stations along the route.

“The buses will serve the residential and commercial areas located within the catchment areas of the stations, such as Bandar Sri Damansara, Taman Ehsan, Taman Kepong, and Bandar Baru Selayang,” he said.

He added that the new line was designed to be more user-friendly and comfortable compared to other lines in the Klang Valley MRT project.

“Twenty trains are scheduled to run between 6am and 11.30pm. Trains will be operated in automatic mode and will be driverless,” he said.

Meanwhile, construction for the Phase Two section of the line from Kampung Batu to Putrajaya Sentral is progressing well, at 98%.

“For the second phase of the project, we are currently conducting architectural works, circulation roads, landscaping as well as testing and commissioning,” Amiruddin said.

Phase Two operation is expected to begin in January 2023, allowing trains to travel the whole line from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya Sentral.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will officiate the opening ceremony of the first phase of the MRT Putrajaya Line at 10am on June 16.