SEPANG: It is still too early to assess the effectiveness of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Putrajaya Line in reducing traffic congestion, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
“This is because the congestion at peak hours is still critical, including on the MEX Highway, the Federal Highway and the Kuala Lumpur-Sungai Besi Highway, especially in the mornings and evenings.
“The situation of peak hour congestion, especially during the month of Ramadan, is quite critical ... but it is still too early to see the effectiveness of this MRT line to reduce road congestion,” he said, reported Bernama.
The Putrajaya MRT line was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and began full operation on March 16.
Speaking at a press conference after launching the Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) Renewable Energy Programme at the Salak Tinggi ERL Complex here yesterday, Loke said his ministry was aiming for the Putrajaya line to be used by 200,000 passengers daily, compared to about 80,000 at present.
He said the number of passengers recorded during the first two weeks, when trips were free, was 100,000 per day.
“It’s normal because if it were free, many people would use it, but we see the trend of the number of passengers using public transport now continuing to increase. We will take some time to increase the number of passengers; indeed, in all rail services, this is a normal thing that takes time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Loke said the renewable energy programme initiative would be extended to public transport stations across the country, especially for the rail transport sector.
“This policy will be extended to operators such as Prasarana and Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB), and in the future, we plan to install it on MRT and LRT stations around the Klang Valley,” he said.
The first phase of ERL’s renewable energy programme involves the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the Bandar Tasik Selatan station and Salak Tinggi station, which have been fully functional since last year, as well as the latest one at the Salak Tinggi ERL Depot.
