KL Transport: MRT Klang Valley

[Yappofloyd]

A more detailed google based route map of the 35 station, 60km line can be viewed on the MRT site, http://kvmrt.com.my/routemap.php.

And here is a video of the central 9.5km underground section of the line;



On the SSC thread there is much discussion regarding station and station precinct design being of appropriate quality and also not negatively impacting on heritage buildings as the following article illustrates. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1315795

[Wisarut]

^^^
Already seen that ... and comment that they have copied BTS Skytrain as the basic idea for the rolling stocks ... Probably, the SMRT Rolling stocks are falling out of favor due to the frequent breakdown though ...

[Yappofloyd]

Architecture for the commute, By MENG YEW CHOONG, The Star, May 7, 2012
A TRAIN station is a train station is a train station. Not so, if you ask the people who are building Malaysia’s first mass rapid transit line, known as the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT).

Already billed Malaysia’s largest public procurement project (estimated to exceed RM15bil), the 51km line will form a highly visible part of Malaysia’s urban landscape as it features 24 elevated stations (and seven underground) passing through largely developed areas from Sungai Buloh in Selangor, through Kuala Lumpur, before ending in Kajang. As this rail infrastructure will form a permanent part of the citiscape, a lot of importance is being placed on how it looks. “It has to last at least 120 years. And so, we talked to various people over their approaches towards designing,” said Glenn Gittoes, the engineering director of MMC Gamuda KVMRT (PDP), the project delivery partner for the massive project that comes under the auspices of Malaysia’s Land Transport Commission and MRT Corporation, a Government-linked company set up for the task of building rail-based public transport infrastructure.

The good news is that the job of creating the look landed on the lap of Hijjas Kasturi Associates (hijjas kasturi.com), the local architecture firm known for its soothing interpretations of what is Malaysian architecture. Among HKAS creations are the Menara Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji (on Jalan Tun Razak), Menara Telekom (fondly called the Pucuk Rebung along Federal Highway), Menara Alor Setar, Menara Maybank, and the Securities Commission Building. Serina Hijjas, director of HKAS, told The Star in an exclusive interview that her job as the concept architect entails delivering a distinct identity for the line.


Delivering a clear, crisp line identity is important when one looks at the existing mish-mash of rail infrastructure in the Klang Valley. There are the Rapid KL lines (Kelana Jaya and Ampang), the KL Monorail, KTM Komuter, and the airport express known as the ERL. “Commuters will be given all the visual cues they need when they want to look for the KVMRT line. You don’t want to create any confusion, and the identity is to help people identify quickly that this is indeed the KVMRT line,” said Serina, who explained that while the choice of materials in certain locations may differ, a single, uniform look would prevail across the entire line. That said, Serina’s interpretation of what is “Malaysian and tropical” will be constrained by the functionality and safety requirements of a rail system. As a concept architect, her role is to fit form to function, and not the other way round.


The wakaf concept as seen in these artist’s impressions of the upcoming 1Utama station of the KVMRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang line. The cladding will be bronze in colour to simulate the colour of wood; coupled with the large overhanging roof, it gives a tropical feel that is airy and inviting. There was absolutely no concern that HKAS had no track record as far as railway stations are concerned. What KVMRT wanted was a more independent body, one that would be able to take a more detached view of things, and purely consider the aesthetics of what a Malaysian design should look like.

Gittoes, who had a hand in the building of many rail infrastructure projects all over the world, including Singapore’s MRT system as well as Rapid KL’s Kelana Jaya line, said that at least two architects were involved in the line identity architecture during the building of Rapid KL, and that meant that different parts of the line took on different looks. “There are lots of foreign architects with ample experience in designing train stations, but having someone who understands Malaysian ideals and concepts is important, and hence, having a Malaysian do the job is important,” he added.

Gittoes explained further by citing the train stations in the Dubai Metro which have facades that incorporate the look of sand dunes and domes; even a cursory look is enough to give the impression that there is a clear identity to the line. HKAS presented three concepts to the KVMRT, but one stood out distinctly above the rest – the wakaf. “The wakaf was distinctly tropical and Malaysian,” said Serina, who also worked with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) students when it came to studying each of the station locations.

Serina Hijjas gladly took on the difficult task of interpreting the concept of a wakaf to fit 24 elevated KVMRT stations along the Sg Buloh- Kajang line. “Wakaf” is the Malay word for a pavilion or a square, open structure, usually made with a low platform for sitting or lying down. It is meant as a temporary resting place for travellers before continuing one’s journey, or simply, taking a respite from the tropical heat. Round after round of concept evaluation showed that the panel had a universal preference for the wakaf concept. In the end, the wakaf concept also turned out to be a value-for-money proposition, compared to the more modern designs, though KVMRT is quick to add that cost was not the only consideration. “As a public commuter rail system, it is important for KVMRT to develop a unique Malaysian experience rail system that puts the connecting and sheltering of the people as top priority.

The design equates rail stations to sheltered pavilions on elevated rail lines. It will not be confused with Dubai or Hong Kong. It will be distinctly Malaysian, and it has to have clarity,” said Serina, who started off as an architectural assistant in Foster Associates in 1989 before joining HKAS in 1992 as director and project architect. Each elevated station will measure around 120m in length, so it is a rather large structure, yet has to be made to look like it is floating. A floating, open roof shelters the main passenger platform at each station and will feature a contemporary hipped gable roof open on the sides to facilitate natural ventilation. “The stations will be a string of tropical pavilions that are light, airy and will provide respite and delight for travellers. What is important is visibility. It must be visually memorable, as it is an urban gateway, a landmark. The overall look and feel of the 31 stations must evoke feelings of being invited to a restful place, before continuing on one’s journey. Likewise, pedestrian walkways, bus stops, taxi stands and other supporting structures will use the same ‘language’, and that is tied up to the language of the station itself.”

Elaborating further on her approach towards the 24 elevated stations, Serina said: “We have to minimise its appearance in terms of ‘heaviness’. Each station stop will translate to positive values to the people and surrounding context. Depending on the location, there will be opportunities for community information, retail and small public facilities. Further public conveniences such as information kiosks, police beats and tourist information booths, will also be set up, responding to the specific locational needs of each station.” But commuter convenience will remain the prime consideration in any station design. Beyond aesthetics, commuters, no matter what their degree of physical mobility, can rightly expect that this brand new system will be very user-friendly, said Audrey Teo Loh, KVMRT PDP’s chief architect. “There will be universal access, with wheelchair friendly lifts on both sides of the access areas. There will also be tactile tiles for the visually impaired. No one would have to use ‘the other’ entrance. Everyone will be a ‘mainstream’ commuter.” As the country’s major public procurement project, KVMRT has a long list of performance indicators to meet. Other than its obvious need to move lots of people efficiently, the infrastructure has to act as a retail activator to generate economic activities. There are also social concerns to address. Added to that is the need for sustainability, and it must not be too expensive to build.

The difficulty of Serina’s task is acknowledged by Teo, formerly the chief architect for transport infrastructure at Singapore’s Land Transport Authority. “It is a modern interpretation of wakaf, which is wholly Malaysian. It is a hard task to interpret a design when you want something that has a Malaysian flavour, yet, is contemporary. To do the job well, you would have to be able to get the pulse of the country. We are glad that we have Serina to do that as HKAS is well known for its iconic designs,” said Teo. For Serina, having the chance to put down the first imprint on the maiden MRT line came as a pleasant surprise. “We were very honoured that we were asked to do it. At first, we thought that all the architects were already in place for the project. MMC Gamuda proved to be very open to ideas. It has been a good experience and a great opportunity, as you seldom get the chance to set the rail line identity right from the beginning.”

> For more details, go to kvmrt.com.my. http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/stor...&sec=lifefocus

[Yappofloyd]

Bids submitted for Malaysia’s Sg Buloh-Kajang rail project, 15 June 2012, Railway Technology
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) has received bids for the build of the RM1.6bn ($502m) Sg Buloh-Kajang rail line in Malaysia for rolling stock, depot equipment and maintenance vehicles, platform screen doors, signalling and train systems.

Changchun Railways Vehicle, Siemens SMH Rail Consortium and CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive have all submitted bids to supply rolling stock for the project. MRT pre-qualified six companies to offer bids, which also included Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock, Bombardier Transportation Canada and Hyundai Rotem Company. Among these companies, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock and Bombardier Transportation did not offer final bids, while Hyundai Rotem Company pulled out of the proceedings.

MRT CEO Dato' Azhar Abdul Hamid said the bids will now be assessed in a four-stage process.
"We expect to award the tender by the end of July 2012," Hamid said. MRT has also shortlisted bids for the supply of depot equipment and maintenance vehicles, platform screen doors and signalling and train systems.
For depot equipment and maintenance vehicles Jiangsu Tansportation Research Institute, a consortium between Siemens, Siemens (M) and Hisniag, and a joint venture between George Kent (M), D&P and Lion Pacific have all submitted bids.

Five companies have submitted bids for the signalling and train control system, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Siemens Klang Valley S&TC consortium, CMC Thales Consortium (CTC), Konsortium Ansaldo STS Emrail and a joint venture between Bombardier Transportation Signal (Thailand) and Bombardier (M).
Singapore Technologies Electronics is the lone bidder to supply platform screen doors to the project.

The 51km Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) line will run from the north-west town of Sg Buloh to Kajang in the south-east. After completion, the rail line will serve 31 stations, carrying around 1.2 million people along the route and reducing congestion on Klang Valley's roads.

[Yappofloyd]

Three MRT lines in KL by 2020, says SPAD, The Malaysian Insider | By Lee Wei Lian | August 30, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — The study on the second and third Klang Valley MRT lines could be finished by early next year with a target completion date of 2020 for their construction, said Land Public Transport Commission chairman Tan Sri Datuk Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar.

The second and third lines are expected to be a circle line around the city centre and a line connecting the northern and southern suburbs and construction will overlap the ongoing rollout of the first line from Sungai Buloh to Kajang. “We will maybe complete the study by early next year and the government will have to approve it,” he said at the soft launch of the Rail Asia 2013 Conference here. Syed Hamid (picture) added that the government wanted to complete all three lines by 2020.

The MRT project has been touted as Malaysia's largest ever construction project and has been earmarked to be the backbone of the city's public transportation network. To date, some 40 MRT construction packages worth RM16 billion have been awarded and another 45 packages will be awarded by year end. The combined network of MRT, LRT, KTM and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is expected to help push public transport usage from 17 per cent currently to 50 per cent by 2020.

The first line of the MRT stretches 51 km from Sungai Buloh to Kajang and has 31 stations. The first phase of the line from Sg Buloh to Semantan is expected to be completed on 31 December 2016 and the rest by 31 July 2017.

Rail Asia 2013 is organised by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and reflects Malaysia's growing ambitions in the rail space and CIDB chief executive Datuk Seri Judin Abdul Karim said that it could help transform Malaysia into a hub for rail expertise. CIDB said that some 3,000 delegates including 300 top decision makers from around the region are expected to attend the conference and exhibition.

Apart from the construction of the MRT, the country is also in the midst of expanding KL's LRT network, implementing double tracking from Padang Besar to Johor Baru, studying the possibility of building a high speed rail link to Singapore and also the extension of Singapore's MRT to Johor Baru. The numerous rail projects are worth tens of billions and are expected to create a boom for rail specialists and construction companies.

[Yappofloyd]

Lines 2 & 3 still being planned and evaluated but it seems that tenders will go out sometime in late 2013 with the lines slated for completion by 2020. Let's see if that timeline sticks.

Two more lines for Klang Valley MRT, Business Times, 22/11/2012
KUALA LUMPUR: At least two more lines are being planned to complement the Sungai Buloh-Kajang mass rapid transit (MRT) system in the Klang Valley. Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abd Rahim Bakri said the government is currently identifying the possible routes for the two lines. "This (Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT) is only the beginning as two more lines are being identified and planned for future development," he said in his keynote address presented during the Malaysian Railways and MRT conference 2012, orga-nised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) here yesterday.

Noting that one of the key objectives of the National Key Result Areas-UTP (NKRA-UPT) of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) is to increase the existing urban rail capacity, he said there is an urgent need to expand the coverage of population living within an accessible distance of an efficient rail system in the Klang Valley in light of its growing population. "Kuala Lumpur is growing too fast. Greater KL will have at least six million population. Thus it requires an efficient public transport system, otherwise you will have congestion problems," he said.

In this regard, Abd Rahim said the aspiration to achieve a 50 per cent modal share of public transport by 2020 has to be supported by an increase in coverage and capacity of urban rail transport. "The extension of light rail transit lines and the MRT are some of the projects identified to provide for this aspiration. "The initial MRT line, which is currently being constructed, will span 57km with 35 stations connecting several townships beginning with Sungai Buloh and terminating at Kajang. "It is estimated to carry up to 400,000 riders daily," he said.

Tenders for Line 2, Line 3 may be called by end-2013, Business Times, 19/10/12
KOTA DAMANSARA: Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) expects to call tenders for the Klang Valley MY Rapid Transit (MRT) Line 2 (Circle Line) and Line 3 packages by the end of 2013.

MRT Corp strategic communications director Amir Mahmood Razak said firms that previously won contracts for Line 1 from Sungai Buloh to Kajang can bid for the packages. "If the contractors have been pre-qualified for Line 1, they should have no problems bidding for Line 2 and 3," Amir said yesterday after announcing the start of the viaduct work package by Gadang Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd.

The MRT Line 2 and 3 are currently under final planning and evaluation. Amir said the government will announce the alignment and station locations in the first half of next year, after which, there would be three months of public display for feedbacks. "We are not sure how much it would cost to build Line 2 and 3. We will have an idea once we know where the alignments run, the geographic's of it and the number of stations required," Amir said. "The government is still conducting studies. If the new lines are announced by early next year, we will be able to award some of the contracts by end-2013. That would be a fair estimate," Amir said.

The MRT project comprising Line 1, 2 and 3 fall under the Greater KL/Klang Valley Land Public Transport Master Plan. While Line 1, which runs 51km, will be operational by 2017; Line 2 and 3 are expected to be completed by 2020. Together, the three will extend the MRT network track to 150km, serving an estimated of 10 million people in Greater Kuala Lumpur.

Based on the master plan, Line 2 would cater for orbital movements in Kuala Lumpur, covering hotspots at KLCC, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Tun Razak Exchange (TRE) and KL Metropolis at Jalan Duta. Line 3 would cover areas between Kota Damansara and Cheras, including Sungai Buloh, Kepong, Selayang, Kampung Baru and TRE.

Meanwhile, Gadang Engineering is expected to complete the viaduct work package, involving 5.14km of alignment works from Taman Industri Sungai Buloh to Dataran Sunway, by February 2016. The company was awarded the job worth RM863.4 million in June. The contract includes building three MRT stations.

[Wisarut]

Here is Inspiro rolling stocks offered by Siemens for MRT Klang Valley - already ordered for Warsaw Metro
http://www.siemens.com/press/pool/de...arlbauer-e.pdf

[pong]

Was in KUL last 4-5 days and traffic there is just as worse as it is here in BKK. Many works for this new MRT underground on the way- smack in the middle of Bukit Bintang also.