Malaysia opens Putrajaya MRT Line Phase 2 for the public

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Metro Rail Today): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has flagged off the Phase 2 of MRT Putrajaya Line to the public at Serdang Metro depot on 16th March 2023. The PM also announced free rides till March 31 on Klang Valley’s second MRT line.

The Putrajaya Line is the second line of the Klang Valley MRT Project. This MRT line will serve a corridor with a population of around 2 million people stretching from Kwasa Damansara, a new township development in northwest Kuala Lumpur and its southern suburbs, to Putrajaya, Malaysia’s federal administrative centre.

The alignment have a length of 57.7km, consisting of 44.2km of elevated tracks and 13.5km underground tunnels. It will have 36 operational stations of which 27 are elevated and 9 underground. A further 5 provisional stations have been built along the alignment for future use (Rubber Research Institute (RRI), Bandar Malaysia Utara, Bandar Malaysia Selatan, Taman Teknologi, and Taman Universiti).

There is 10 interchange stations and connecting stations along the alignment, making it much easier for commuters to transfer from the Putrajaya Line to the existing and future rail lines. 17 stations along the alignment are equipped with park and ride facilities, with a total of 5870 bays.

The Malaysia Government announced its approval for the implementation of the Putrajaya Line in 2014. A Public Inspection exercise pursuant to Section 84 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 was then subsequently held from May to August 2015 for members of the public to give their feedback and objections.

The final approval for the Putrajaya Line Railway Scheme was given by the Government in October 2015, enabling land acquisition and the procurement process to proceed.

The ground breaking ceremony, which was officiated by then Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, was held at the site of the future Putrajaya Sentral Station on 15 September 2016, marking the commencement of construction works of the Putrajaya Line.

Launched by the Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Phase One operations from Kwasa Damansara to Kampung Batu commenced on 16 June 2022. Phase Two operations, which will see the remaining section of the line from Kentonmen to Putrajaya Sentral being opened, thus allowing trains to run from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya Sentral.

At commencement of full service, the Putrajaya Line is expected to have an initial ridership of over 104,000 passengers daily. This is expected to further improve the current chronic traffic congestion while significantly increasing the targeted modal share of 40% public transport use within Greater Kuala Lumpur region.