KUCHING: More than 30 representatives from the East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – had the opportunity to ride on the prototype Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) hydrogen vehicle (H2V) last weekend.
The representatives were delegates of the 10th BIMP-EAGA Transport Cluster who were in the city for the three-day meeting recently.
Their ride on the prototype ART H2V, which is currently undergoing an engineering run at the Isthmus, was organised by the Ministry of Transport Sarawak, Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd and EMGJV Sdn Bhd.
Sarawak Metro, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), has been entrusted with implementing, operating and maintaining the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project.
Meanwhile, EMGJV is the main contractor for System Package 1 of the KUTS Project.
The zero-emission ART vehicle is the backbone of the KUTS Project, which is Sarawak government funded, is aimed at modernising the public transport system in Sarawak.
The KUTS Project will be developed in phases and Phase 1 will see the development of three lines – the Blue Line, the Red Line and the Green Line.
Phase 1 of the KUTS Project is scheduled to start operation in stages, from the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Blue Line, covering a distance of 27.5 km, is from Rembus in Kota Samarahan to Kuching city centre; the Red Line (12.3 km) is from Kuching Sentral to Pending; and the Green Line (30 km) from Pending to Damai Central.
Sarawak Metro said the ART vehicles will be operated on dedicated lanes and will not share the road with other road users.
The lanes will either be at-grade (road level) or elevated, and the ART vehicles run on rubber tyres and hence the dedicated lanes will be trackless.
The ART operation will be supported by a feeder bus network, which will also use hydrogen-powered vehicles to offer the ‘first mile and last mile’ connectivity for commuters.
The move to use hydrogen is in support of the Sarawak government’s aspirations to advance the hydrogen economy and to decarbonise public transport in the state.
