UKAS TO ISSUE RFP FOR ELEVATED ART PROJECT IN JOHOR BAHRU SOON - LOKE

JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- The Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) will soon issue a request for proposal (RFP) for the elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) Project in Johor Bahru, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

He said that this followed the presentation of the elevated ART construction plan by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to the Cabinet in December last year.

Loke said the Cabinet had also instructed UKAS under the Prime Minister’s Department to call for an RFP on the matter.

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“This means we want to collaborate with the private sector through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) concept. It is a plan we aim to implement quickly.

“UKAS will soon issue the RFP. We intend to build an elevated ART. The RFP will be evaluated first, and a decision will be made once the process is completed,” he told reporters after witnessing the agreement signing ceremony between Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) and Sunway Integrated Properties Sdn Bhd for the property development in Bukit Chagar today.

Elaborating, Loke said the elevated ART project, which involved the construction of flyovers and dedicated lanes, was a transportation system that could be implemented more quickly and easily.

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“The advantage of the elevated ART project is that it can serve as a combined route for buses, unlike the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, where the track is dedicated to a single system.

“The elevated ART is more flexible. It is the transportation system Johor Bahru needs,” he said, adding that the construction of the elevated ART is expected to take less time compared to the LRT, which typically takes between five and seven years.

The Johor government had previously proposed the construction of an elevated ART to address traffic congestion in the city centre.

Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi was reported to have said that the proposal had been consented to by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail.

It was reported that the elevated ART system would be developed at a cost of nearly RM7 billion, with 32 stations across three lines covering over 50 kilometres.

Johor opted for the elevated ART system due to its shorter construction timeline, allowing it to support the Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link), which is expected to begin operations in January 2027.

The RTS link is a four-kilometre cross-border rail project connecting Bukit Chagar Station here with Woodlands North Station in Singapore.

-- BERNAMA