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Proposed alignment of SSP line not final – Bernama

Proposed alignment of SSP line not final – Bernama

All proposed alignments of the Serdang-Putrajaya Line (SSP Line) remain as options and have not been finalised, said Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) today.

This is in response to DAP MP Tony Phua's allegation and media reports that the realignment of the Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya mass rail transit (MRT) line is to benefit debt-laden strategic investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) as the government will have to acquire land from it to build the line.

Pua said the MRT Line 2 would bypass the densely populated residential areas of Cheras and Pandan, and instead pass through Bandar Malaysia, a property development project by 1MDB for which not "a single construction stone" has been laid.

The company said the alignments could only be finalised after going through the public display exercise and subsequent approval by the government,

MRT Corp strategic communication and public relations director Amir Mahmood Razak said the new proposed alignment option for the SSP Line involves a change in the section between Tun Razak Exchange and Seri Kembangan Stations, serving Kuchai Lama, Sri Petaling, Sungai Besi and Serdang Raya.

"An earlier alignment option, instead of passing through the above locations, had covered the Maluri, Pandan, Cheras and Bukit Belimbing areas," he said in a statement today.

He made the clarification to dispel allegations in the media regarding the alignment of the proposed SSP Line, the second line of the Klang Valley MRT project.

The new proposed alignment option was done to enable the SSP Line to integrate with the future Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail Terminal, said Amir.

"The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) has proposed the terminus be located adjacent to the KTM and Express Rail Link tracks south of the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base in Sungai Besi.

"It is therefore an excellent opportunity to integrate the SSP Line with the HSR. This is the kind of forward planning that will ensure maximum convenience to the public while giving good ridership for the SSP Line," he added.

Amir said the new option is now expected to bring an additional ridership of 16,000 passengers per day compared with the original proposed alignment, and allows the SSP Line to be integrated with the Chan Sow Lin and Sungai Besi LRT stations.

"We are, of course, constrained by funding and capacity in terms of building more lines, but if we can connect to another existing or proposed line earlier, the responsible thing to do is find a route to do so.

"The additional link to the Sungai Besi LRT Station is a bonus as it then expands the urban rail footprint of that particular catchment," said Amir.

The new option will also see a more direct route for commuters from Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Serdang to Kuala Lumpur and reduce the expected end-to-end travel time from 100 minutes to 84 minutes.

Amir said the government had asked MRT Corp to immediately conduct studies on the alignment for MRT Line 3 with a view to providing the area with an MRT service.

"MRT Corp will conduct a feasibility study for Line 3 later in 2015 to further improve rail connectivity in Pandan. Once that is completed, we will submit it to SPAD," he added.

Amir said the assertion that the realignment has resulted in a delay of six months is also incorrect and that the construction time for the new option remains the same.

"The only change to the timeline is for the public display, which is now expected to take place in May 2015 instead of March 2015," he added. – Bernama, April 1, 2015.