Sarawak needs an electrified double-track rail line connecting all the major towns in Sarawak NOT light rail transit as proposed by Abang Jo connecting Kuching, Serian and Samarahan.
Abang Jo seems to have mistaken about the difference between conventional electrified rail train and light rail transit train.
First and foremost, the costs of constructing a light rail train is at least RM200 million per km. In Kuala Lumpur and Penang, ongoing LRT projects cost RM 250 million to RM 300 million per kilometer, excluding land acquisition cost. The Petaling Jaya – Bandar Utama LRT project, which is only 38 km long, costs RM 9 billion.
If Abang Jo is to push forward with the Kuching – Kota Samarahan – Serian LRT which is estimated to be about 80 km, it will cost at least RM16 billion (estimated at RM200 million per km).
Before Abang Jo continues to boast about wanting to build LRT from Kuching to Serian, he must at least show us Sarawakians the following:
- The projected costs of construction of the said project?
- The estimated costs of maintenance for the said LRT line?
- The estimate rate of fares on the passengers taking the LRT service?
- The proposed average speed of the LRT from Kuching to Serian? Normally, the average speed of a LRT is between 30 – 40 km/h. At this speed it will take 1 and ½ hour to travel from Kuching to Serian. By car, it will take not more than 1 hour. With such comparison, who will take the LRT?
On the contrary, to build an electrified train line connecting all the major cities and towns throughout Sarawak is a more viable and economically feasible project. It will also probably cost less than the LRT, considering the fact that there will be fewer stations and the electrical and signalling requirement are less sophisticated. For example, in December 2015, the Federal Government awarded a contract to build electrified double-track railway between Gemas (Negeri Sembilan) and Johor Bahru (Johor) at the cost of RM8.9 billion. The distance is 190km, ie. RM46 million/km.
Let me also list down briefly the potential benefits of an electrified railway in Sarawak as follows:
- To increase the people’s mobility within the State while reducing traffic accidents. It will also reduce the costs and time for travel inter-towns. Take for example, the KL-Ipoh electricity train takes about 2.5 hrs to travel 190 km. If we have such services in Sarawak, it will take 2 to 2.5 hrs from Kuching to Sri Aman or only 4 hrs from Kuching to Sibu which is the travel time between Butterworth Penang and Kuala Lumpur on the KTMB ETS train now. It is a lot safer and cheaper than driving.
- To reduce the logistic costs of cargo transportation in Sarawak, thereby reducing the price of goods in the rural areas. Freight train CANNOT run on LRT tracks. On the other hand, on an electrified train rail, when the passenger trains stop running at night, freight trains carrying goods such as cement, steel and other trade goods can operate.
- To expand economic development in Sarawak beyond Kuching, especially to the second and third-tier towns and the rural areas. We have very high quality products made in the town and rural areas with commercial potential. The issue is often accessibility to markets. With a reliable railway, rural products and people can access urban markets faster and cheaper.
Moreover, Sarawak has excess capacity in electricity supply with all the hydro dams. Rather than cheap-selling these hydro-electricity to attract heavy industries which pollutes our environment, such electricity would be better used to run the electric train throughout the State.
Therefore, Sarawak DAP urges Abang Jo to stop the unrealistic hot air about the LRT project from Kuching to Serian but instead embark on the intra-state electrified railway project. It Abang Jo wants to leave a good legacy infrastructure development, the electrified train project will serve the same purpose, albeit at lower costs and more inclusive to Sarawakians state-wide.