KUCHING: With the implementation of the urban transportation solution for greater Kuching now almost definite, the state government is exploring the options of employing the latest train technology that could possibly reduce the cost of making it a reality.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg was in Nanchang city, China yesterday to view the deployment of the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) system that forms part of the city’s urban transportation solution.
“The ART might be able to reduce the cost of building the lines as it can run on non-elevated normal or dedicated roads,” the chief minister told Sarawak officers accompanying him during the visit.
The proposed routes are the Kuching-Samarahan and the Kuching-Serian lines. The ART with trains that run on tyres developed by CRRC Corporations Ltd does not run on conventional rails but on a virtual track that can be on a dedicated or normal existing road and controlled by a central command centre.
The chief minister and members of his delegation were actually taken on a ride on the train along a 5km-line through the city to have a first-hand experience on the ART that can be powered by electricity or hydrogen.
Later, they were taken on a tour of the production facility near the city before attending a briefing by CRRC.
Among those accompanying the chief minister were Transportation Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Jerip Susil and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Hussain.
