SEREMBAN: The Seremban Sentral railway station is 35% complete and on track to be ready by March next year, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke (pic).
He said the RM100mil station, which will be integrated with the century-old Seremban railway station, had passed its most challenging construction phase and work would now accelerate.
Loke revealed that construction had progressed slowly in the early stages as piling works had to be carried out while the existing station remained operational.
This required underground cables and wiring to be relocated, while piling points had to be positioned precisely, he said.
“That is why the preliminary works took a long time. But now that the hardest part is done, progress will speed up,” he told reporters after visiting the station yesterday.
Loke said the structural framework was in place and work would proceed with the installation of the roof and platforms.
The station is part of a RM280mil package that also covers upgrades to nine KTM Bhd 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, allowing it to handle 30,000 passengers a day initially, and up to 120,000 in the future.
“We expect this new station to meet demand for the next 30 to 50 years,” he said.
Loke said the station had been designed as a green building with a Minangkabau-inspired roof. It would also feature new commercial spaces and two drop-off points, one at the front and another at the rear, to help ease traffic congestion.
He said the ministry had instructed the contractor to urgently carry out additional drainage works after the station was hit by flash floods, adding that it was not the first such incident there.
Loke said a new culvert system would divert stormwater from outside the station into Sungai Temiang without allowing it to enter the station grounds.
“If the station is beautiful but the platform and tracks are flooded, that is embarrassing and it will inconvenience passengers,” he said.
On the 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 was no longer functioning.
“The clock tower has been restored and 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 55% complete and on track for completion in 2028. He also said one line was closed to allow work to proceed more quickly, resulting in reduced KTM Komuter frequency during off-peak hours.
The frequency of Komuter and Electric Train Service trains would be increased once the double-tracking project and new station were completed, as part of efforts to encourage more people to live in Seremban and commute to the Klang Valley, he added.
