Masteel offered 14.3ha site for commuter train depot

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Steel Works (KL) Bhd's joint venture for a proposed commuter train service has been offered 14.31ha in Kempas, Johor for its Iskandar Malaysia commuter train depot.

Masteel said on Tuesday its JV company -- Metropolitan Commuter Network Sdn Bhd (MCN) -- had received the offer from the Transport Ministry to build the depot. It would submit the application to Perbadanan Aset Keretapi for the land.

"The size of the land is sufficient for MCN's depot construction and is strategically located in Johor for the efficient operation of MCN's proposed commuter train service," it said.

MCN is a joint venture with KUB Malaysia Bhd.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/6/business/20121106191729&sec=business

By ZAZALI MUSA
zaza@thestar.com.my | Mar 18, 2011

New transport hub in Johor

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PASIR GUDANG: An integrated transportation hub would be built in Bandar Seri Alam township here to serve residents in the Eastern Gate Development Zone. Seri Alam Properties Sdn Bhd acting head of subsidiary Frankie Tan Kiat How said a 3.19ha site near to a private medical centre has been slated for the project. “The hub will be developed within the next two years and it will improve connectivity from the Eastern Gate to other parts of Iskandar Malaysia,’’ he toldStarMetro.

Tan said this after hosting an appreciation lunch for members of Johor Baru media and the company’s corporate clients at Amansari Residences and Resorts.

He added that the hub would encompass train commuter, feeder bus and taxi services with the commuter system to be inter linked with the rail network at the Kempas Sentral. The latter is part of the KTM Kempas Baru station which would be developed into an integrated transportation hub for Iskandar Malaysia, similar to KL Sentral, but several times bigger.

Eastern Development Gate is one of the five flagship development zones in Iskandar Malaysia – others are the Johor Baru City Centre, Nusajaya, Western Development Gate and Kulai-Senai. Areas that come under the Eastern Development Gate are Pasir Gudang, Pasir Gudang Port, Pasir Gudang industrial park, Tanjung Langsat Port and Tanjung Langsat industrial complex.

“There is a possibility of a link-up with the Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit system with the transportation hub which will extend from Singapore to Pasir Gudang,’’ said Tan.

In a separate matter, Tan said the company had allocated 16.18ha site in the township for a proposed public hospital in Pasir Gudang to cater for the increasing numbers of residents in the Eastern Gate.

He hoped the government would give priority to the project as residents seeking medical treatments at public hospitals now have to go either to Hospital Sultan Ismail in Pandan or Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru. Although there is a private medical centre here, he said not everybody especially wage earners from the medium-low income brackets groups could afford the high medical charges.

“A full-fledged public hospital at least with 200 or 300 beds is a better choice to serve residents here rather than a small hospital,’’ said Tan.

Seri Alam Properties, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Malayan Land Bhd, and currently undertakes the development of 1,347.60ha Bandar Seri Alam township. Development started since 1992, as of todate 60% of the area has been developed with about 10,000 residential and commercial properties and 50,000 residents.

JB-S’pore RTS project being evaluated, Dewan Rakyat told

JB-S’pore RTS project being evaluated, Dewan Rakyat told

Tuesday, 27 March 2012 07:03 Anuja Ravendran 0 Comments

The bullet train project between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is not a priority for both the Malaysian and Singapore governments as much as the rapid transit rail system (RTS) between Johor Baru (JB) and Singapore, according to the Malaysian government. Working committees from both the Malaysian and Singapore governments are evaluating open tender bids for the RTS, aimed to relieve peak hour traffic between both countries, and expect the project to be completed by 2018, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

“Construction is expected to commence in 2014 and complete in 2018,” he said in response to Tebrau Member of Parliament (MP) Teng Boon Soon on updates on the proposals to build the mass rapid transit and underwater tunnel between Singapore and Johor Baru as well as the Johor Baru-Kuala Lumpur (KL) bullet train.

The international open tender exercise for the RTS project, expected to include an underground tunnel between both cities, was opened in November and closed in February this year, he said.

The evaluation process has to comply with the requirements set by both countries, he said, adding that the cost for building the RTS will be borne by both governments. He said that the RTS was discussed by both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong at the last three ministerial retreats between both countries but the bullet train was "not given priority".

At present, it was more important to relieve peak hour traffic between Malaysia’s southern-most city and Singapore as between 30,000 and 40,000 Malaysians and Singaporeans cross over into the both countries at peak hours, with a total of 320,000 people making daily crossovers on normal working days.

“During public holidays, the number doubles,” he said.

Despite this, Ahmad said the government has not dropped the bullet train project and results of the feasibility study will be announced in due course. The project was mooted by YTL Corp Bhd, helmed by Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, in 2006.

The bullet train project has surfaced a number of times since the 1990s. According to news reports in 2008, the government dropped the project, then being bandied with a price tag of RM8 billion, due to the high cost of construction but the project found its way into the limelight again in 2010 when it was announced as a potential Entry Point Project under the ETP.

When asked by Opposition MP for Kuala Selangor Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad on the reason for the delay in announcing the bullet train project for which the cost will continue to grow as the years pass, Ahmad said KL-Singapore travellers have the North-South Expressway to serve their current needs.

The bullet train is touted to cut down travelling time between both cities from six hours by road to 90 minutes.