SEREMBAN: The Seremban Sentral railway station, originally due for completion in January, is only 35% built and will not open until March next year, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke (pic).
Loke said the RM100mil station, which will integrate with the century-old Seremban railway station, had passed its most difficult construction phase and works would now accelerate.
"On the progress, it was said to be 35%, but the most challenging works have been completed," he told reporters after a working visit to the station on Tuesday (July 21).
He said the early stages were slow because piling had to be carried out while the station remained in operation, requiring underground cables and wiring to be relocated and piling points to be positioned precisely.
"That is why the preliminary work took a long time. But now that the hardest part is done, the progress will speed up," he said, adding that the structural framework was in place and works would move to roof and platform installation.
The project was launched on Jan 19, 2024, with a 24-month completion period.
The station was part of a RM280mil package that also covered upgrades to nine KTM Berhad stations in the Klang Valley under the Klang Valley Double Track Phase 2 project.
Loke said the completed station would have three platforms with provision for three more, giving it capacity for 30,000 passengers a day initially and up to 120,000 in future.
"We expect this new station can meet demand for the next 30 to 50 years," he said.
He said the station was designed as a green building with a Minangkabau-inspired roof, and would house new commercial space and two drop-off points, one at the front and another at the rear to ease traffic congestion.
Loke also said the ministry had ordered the contractor to urgently carry out additional drainage works after the station was hit by flash floods, which he said was not the first such incident there.
He said a new culvert system would divert stormwater from outside the station into the Sungai Temiang river without entering the station grounds.
"If the station is beautiful but the platform is flooded, and the tracks are flooded, that is embarrassing, and it will inconvenience passengers," he said.
On the separate conservation of the old station, Loke said the nearly RM8mil project by the Railway Assets Corporation was fully completed in June after three years.
He said the more than 100-year-old structure had deteriorated badly, with rotting timber and a clock tower that no longer worked.
"The clock tower has been restored, and it is functioning. Yes, the clock works now," he said, adding that the station had also been rewired with new electrical systems.
Loke said the Klang Valley Double Track Phase 2 project was now 55% complete and on track for 2028.
He said one line had been closed to allow works to proceed faster, which was why KTM Komuter frequency had been reduced during off-peak hours.
"If we did not close one of the tracks, the work could not be carried out during operating hours," he said.
Loke said frequency for Komuter and Electric Train Service would be increased once the double tracking and the new station were completed, as part of efforts to encourage more people to live in Seremban and commute to the Klang Valley.
