Proposal to have tram services receives warm response

PETALING JAYA: Industry stakeholders have welcomed the Land Public Transport Commission's (SPAD) proposal of having tram services in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Kajang and Bangi.
Malaysian Institute of Planners immediate past president Md Nazri Mohd Noordin said the proposal would help increase connectivity.
"Having connectivity between the four areas would be great as it would do wonders for the local economy, considering the number of government offices, SMEs and colleges available along the line.
"However, it is important to note that the road network in Putrajaya and Cyberjaya is slightly bigger than those in Kajang so it would not be much of a problem for Putrajaya and Cyberjaya to have a tram route," he said when contacted.
"But for a mature city like Kajang, it might be a bit of an issue to accommodate a tram route as wider roads are required for the route," Md Nazri said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Public Transport Users Association (4PAM) president Ajit Johl said while the association is fully behind the commission's idea of having tram services to provide connectivity for Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Kajang and Bangi, it is also important to ensure the tariff rates are acceptable to the people.
"Otherwise, it will defeat the purpose of spending on public transport if it becomes too expensive for the rakyat to use it," Ajit said in a statement.
Both Md Nazri and Ajit were commenting on the recent announcement by SPAD chief executive officer Azharuddin Mat Sah that a tram service system will be introduced in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Kajang and Bangi.
Azharuddin said the government has given the green-light for the commission to initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) exercise for bids to implement the new public transportation system.
"The tram system which is the first of its kind in Malaysia will be integrated with other public transportation systems available along the line, including the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR).