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Thursday, 5 February 2009
Soil Test for Proposed LRT Route Being Carried Out
MPSJ Confirms Approval to Carry Out Tests
IT'S CONFIRMED!
Initial soil testing works have started along the proposed route of the LRT. The project is to be executed by the Federal Government.
For the past week, residents have been calling up SJ Echo asking to confirm whether what appears to be earthworks along Persiaran Jengka and Persiaran Kewajipan are related to the LRT project.
Subang Jaya Municipal Council president Dato' Adnan Md Ikshan when contacted this afternoon (Feb 6) confirmed that the council had given permission to the contractors to carry out soil tests.
"They are just carrying out soil tests along the stretch."
"The LRT project is not approved yet," he said when asked if that was an indication that the project would steamroll through.
In September last year, SJ Echo carried an exclusive story on the LRT project. Today, we provide the story once again for background reading into the matter.
The soil tests have been spotted along Persiaran Jengka at SS17 and along the dividers between SS18 and SS14; and at the junction of Persiaran Kewajipan-USJ2.
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Rail line to connect Kelana Jaya to Putra Heights with 12 stations between the two points
YES! The LRT line is finally coming to Subang Jaya and USJ, providing an alternative avenue for residents to switch to public transport when completed by 2012.
As announced in Budget 2009 by Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, this new link will compliment the existing LRT route from Kelana Jaya and subsequently connect to the Ampang line via Putra Heights and Puchong.
It is understood from sources that the trains when operational will be able to handle 45,926 passengers per hour.
The cost of the project however is yet to be finalised.
SJ Echo raised several points with Transport Minister Dato' Ong Tee Keat in a telephone interview recently and also posed a few question via email to him for clarification.
Ong said the project for the line extension was being undertaken by the Finance Ministry.
“The LRT project for Subang Jaya is expected to commence by the end of this year after a detailed engineering and land alignment study is conducted.
“After that, residents will be given three months to provide their comments after which approval will be sought from the relevant authorities to start work. All feedback will be forwarded to my ministry for consideration,” he said.
On objections from residents who's houses are along the route, Ong said his ministry would engage with them to seek feedback.
“We should always seek engage with residents to seek their feedback when at the drawing board. It is never too late to hear their concerns. They must be heard,” he said, adding that the new stations would also be made disabled-friendly.
“The public want quality service and disable-friendly facilities to be incorporated into the public transportation system. This will be carried out although I must admit we are lagging behind presently.”
“We are yet to be up to mark where this is concerned but we cannot leave out the disabled among us,” he said.
Below are the answers to questions posed via email with Ong through the Transport Ministry:
Around the end of last year, the Subang Jaya Local Plan which was made public for comments had LRT lines drawn all over the housing area. However, no details were provided. Even on the map, location of stations were not shown and this created anxiety with residents, some of whom raised concerns that the tracks were running through in front of their homes. The plan was to connect the existing LRT lines from Kelana Jaya to the KTM Komuter station in Subang Jaya.
Is the plan to introduce LRT by Syarikat Prasarana to Subang Jaya still on?
The project is still on. This involves 12 new stations with 15-km rail length. After the completion of detailed engineering and land/alignment study, this project is expected to commence at the end of 2008. The project will be wholly financed by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad under a privatization and concession agreement. A detailed study on the project is still being conducted.
What's the time frame for getting consultation with residents, planning and implementation? Residents through former ADUN Subang Jaya Dato' Lee Hwa Beng had proposed an alternative route. Will this be considered?
Residents will be given 3 months for public comments after the necessary studies have been completed and approval obtained from the relevant authorities. The feedback will be forwarded to the Ministry of Transport for consideration.
Where are the lines going should it be implemented?
The proposed line will connect the existing Kelana Jaya Station through Subang Jaya to Putra Heights. However detailed studies will be conducted for the final option.
What's the cost and scale of the project?
The cost and scale of project can only be determined upon completion of the detailed studies.
Is the LRT project feasible? Would improving the internal public transportation system in Subang Jaya be a better option?
The basis of urban rail network is to provide mobility for commuters from sub-urban residential zone to employment centers. Intra-zonal travel is based on other modes such as taxis, bicycles and pedestrian walkways. Example of Intra-zonal travel is like the Sunway Monorail System.
Would an alternative like this work? - Integrate the Kelana Jaya LRT to the Subang Jaya KTM Komuter station and subsequently improve on public transportation (eg feeder buses) to ferry passengers to KTM point.This way, people have the choice of taking KTM or LRT and infrastructure costs would be minimised.
The plan is to integrate the proposed LRT system with the existing KTM Komuter Station. This will be enhanced by feeder buses.
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