Published: Wednesday July 11, 2012 MYT 6:49:00 PM

SPAD monitoring MRT project to ensure no delays

By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

KUALA LUMPUR: The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) is monitoring the progress of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project to ensure there are no delays in the construction of the country's biggest public transportation undertaking.

SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said several other bodies and authorities were also involved in the exco and technical committees overseeing the project, with the commission acting as the secretariat for these committees.

"We are pleased the project is on schedule and will monitor its progress. There is a lot of public interest in the MRT project," he said after opening the Land Public Transport Forum here Wednesday.

Construction of the 51km Sungai Buloh-Kajang line started at various locations from July last year, including in Sungai Buloh, Jalan Duta and Cheras.

The MRT project will have 31 stops and is expected to be completed in 2017.

Earlier in his speech, Syed Hamid said Malaysia was transforming its urban land public transport at an accelerated rate and the Government's commitment could be seen from its track record of investing more than RM50bil in rail transport since the 1990s.

"Rail projects until 2020 will see a further investment of RM160bil. It is therefore crucial to have a proper co-ordinated strategies and action plans to grow the local rail industry to become strong, sustainable and capable of meeting market demands," he said.

Syed Hamid pointed out the most significant development of the country's transport industry was the MRT project that would be the backbone of the Klang Valley's public transportation system, adding that 13 corridors in the Greater KL boundaries have been identified for the development of Bus Rapid Transit lanes.

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