KUCHING, Jan 24: Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd’s (Sarawak Metro) ongoing tender exercise for the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) Project’s System Package 1 has received an encouraging response from industry players.
According to Sarawak Metro, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), this was an expected outcome as there was a lot of interest generated from its rolling stock vendor registration exercise conducted in mid-2021.
Last year, Sarawak Metro advertised in international and national publications calling for companies to register as rolling stock vendors. The response was very encouraging, attracting the attention of companies from around the globe.
Sarawak Metro also anticipated that these companies would likely partner with local players. This, in turn, will provide a potential platform for the transfer of technology, which will significantly benefit the industry in Sarawak.
System Package 1 of the KUTS Project includes the supply of rolling stock (Hydrogen Vehicle), depot equipment and maintenance vehicle, signalling and control system and automatic platform gate.
The contract to the successful bidder is expected to be awarded by the second quarter of this year, while the commencement of engineering works on the KUTS Project is scheduled by the third quarter of this year.
Sarawak Metro assured that the selection of successful bidders would be thoroughly evaluated to ensure the project achieves its objectives.
It is committed to conducting a stringent and comprehensive evaluation process to ensure that only the best will be engaged in delivering this noble project, which aims to alleviate the traffic congestion in Kuching and modernise and decarbonise the city’s public transport system.
The development of the KUTS Project will be conducted in phases. Phase 1 will involve the development of two lines, namely the Samarahan Line, which covers a distance of about 28km from Rembus to the city centre, and the Serian Line (24km) from Batu 12 to the Isthmus.
Currently, pre-engineering works for the KUTS Project are still ongoing, including traffic surveys, soil investigation, geotechnical works and underground utility mapping; undertaken along the alignment of the two lines.
The passenger service for the Automated Rapid Transit (ART) will be introduced in stages, starting from Q4 2025.
The development of the KUTS project is seen as a ‘game-changer’. As such, Sarawak Metro is committed to improving mobility in the city and at the same time assisting in realising the State’s hydrogen economy agenda as well as addressing the issue of climate change. — DayakDaily
