MALAYSIA: The first phase of Kuala Lumpur’s fully automated Putrajaya Linewas opened on June 16, with revenue services starting at 15.00 following an inauguration ceremony at 10.00 attended by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
To celebrate the opening, the Prime Minister announced 30 days of free public transport across the city, encouraging passengers to sample the expanding metro network.
Running from east to west across the north of the city, the first phase of MRT2 runs for 17·5 km from Kampung Batu to Kwasa Damansara, serving 12 stations.
The westernmost 5·4 km between Sungai Buloh and Kwasa Damansara, including the intermediate station at Kampung Selamat, was originally opened in 2016 as part of the Kajang Line (MRT1), but was closed in October 2021 to facilitate reconfiguration.
Seven stations are provided with park and ride facilities offering a total of 2 800 spaces. Interchange is provided to KTM Komuter services at Kampung Batu, Kepong Sentral and Sungai Buloh. Kwasa Damansara provides interchange between the Putrajaya and Kajang lines, while the nearby Sungai Buloh depot houses the rolling stock for both.
Built by the MMC-Gamuda joint venture as turnkey contractor and operated by Rapid KL, the first phase of the Putrajaya Line is worked by 20 four-car, driverless trainsets supplied by the HAP Consortium of Hyundai Rotem, Apex Communications and POSCO Engineering.
Taking power at 750 V DC from a third rail, these are designed for a maximum speed of 100 km/h. Each 77·4 m long train can carry up to 1 200 passengers, while four 1 400 mm wide doors per car facilitate rapid boarding and alighting.
A fleet of 49 trains was ordered in May 2016 at a cost of 1·62bn ringgit, and deliveries began in May 2019. The first two sets were manufactured at Hyundai Rotem’s Changwon plant in South Korea, but the remainder are being assembled by Apex Communications in Rasa, north of Kuala Lumpur, using bodyshells, bogies and traction components supplied from South Korea.
Construction of the 34·7 km second phase of the Putrajaya Line from Kampung Batu to Putrajaya Sentral is reported to be 98% complete, with opening scheduled for January 2023. Looping around the eastern side of the city centre and then heading south, the completed line is expected to serve a catchment of around 2 million people living in the Klang Valley conurbation.
