MRT Phase 2 opens by 4pm Monday

PETALING JAYA: Phase 2 of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) MRT line will be open to the public by 4pm on Monday (July 17).  

However, those looking for a month-long free trial will be disappointed as the free period will only be about seven hours, from 4pm until the line closes for service at around 11.30pm that day.  

Full revenue service commences on July 18, the day after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak opens Phase 2 of the line.  

The free trial covers only the 19 stations on the line, from Kajang until Muzium Negara, the nearest station to KL Sentral.  

Just for Monday, passengers from Kajang headed in the direction of Sungai Buloh would have to detrain at Muzium Negara, and tap into the MRT network again should they wish to proceed to Semantan and beyond.  

Likewise, passengers from Sungai Buloh who want to head to Kajang would have to disembark at Muzium Negara, and tap out of the network, and then tap in again to continue the ride.  

Another important point to note is that LRT users can only cross into the MRT system at Pasar Seni, Maluri and Plaza Rakyat (into the Merdeka station), and vice versa, beginning 6am Tuesday (July 18).  

This technical and logistical complication in providing the free trial for Phase 2 is the reason why the trial period cannot be prolonged, unlike when Phase 1 (from Sungai Buloh to Semantan) was opened last December.   

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the people should look at the larger picture.  

"Commuters along the 51km line which offers 31 stations will be able to enjoy connectivity like never before," said Nancy, who oversees the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), master planner of rail-based transport in Malaysia.  .  

"I am also extremely pleased that many of our school children will also benefit from the MRT project, as students from 40 schools and educational institutions  along the SBK MRT Line will be able to use the train to get to their classes. It is indeed a promise delivered to the people by the Government, under the leadership of our Prime Minister.  

"We want to see our future land public transport system to be more inclusive, and better designed to serve the needs of vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, families with young children, and an ageing population, and the realisation of the MRT is certainly a testament to this aspiration,” she added. 

-thestar online.
http://www.mymrt.com.my/