Gombak transport hub to be ready by 2019

PUTRAJAYA: The construction of the Gombak Integrated Transport Terminal (GITT) will commence next month, and the facility is expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2019.
Primed to be the major transport hub for the north-east sector of Greater Kuala Lumpur, with a maximum of 700 bus trips and 22,000 users daily, GITT will offer seamless integration with the Gombak LRT station and will also be the focal transit point for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).
During the budget tabling on Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced that GITT will be among the stations for the RM55 billion ECRL double-tracking project connecting the Klang Valley to the east coast.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi said the ministry has been working hard to revive the RM307 million transport hub project, which was scheduled to take off four years ago under the National Key Result Areas for Urban Public Transport plan.
He described the Gombak terminal as the perfect location for east coast travellers since it is less than 10 minutes from the KL-Karak Highway and may reduce traffic congestion into the city.
Aziz also said issues over the land, which caused the project to be stalled since 2011, had been resolved earlier this year between the federal and Selangor governments.
The former Selangor mentri besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, had refused to sanction a land swap deal and insisted the federal government develop the land, without changing the Malay Reserve Land status of the 5.4ha site.
The revival of the GITT project will bring cheer to east coast travellers who have had to endure long journeys and congestion since the end of 2014, and travel an additional 35km to board express buses and taxis at the Tasik Selatan Integrated Terminal (TBS), located at the southern corridor of Kuala Lumpur.
“Probably, the Gombak terminal will also serve north-bound buses on a temporary basis,” Aziz added.
GITT will be constructed and managed by Terminal Bersepadu Gombak Sdn Bhd (Tegas), on a 25-year concession.
The terminal complex comprises two components – main terminal building and the road widening and upgrading works for the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2). 
“We anticipate the Selayang Municipal Council will issue the building plan approval by the end of next month for us to start with the earthworks and pile driving,” said a Tegas spokesman.
It will include a seven-storey terminal building, a commercial Soho block and retail lots of around 220,000m², centralised e-ticketing system for bus tickets purchase, 950 parking lots and a lay-by for buses with 80 bays.
“Passenger cars will have direct access to the terminal building at level three from MRR2 while buses coming from the Karak side will have a dedicated access road,” said the spokesman, adding that GITT will be a tout-proof terminal similar to TBS.