MALAYSIAN NEWS- Kota Damansara-Cheras rail line right on track

PETALING JAYA: More than one million Klang Valley residents will benefit from the much awaited new Kota Damansara-Cheras rail transit line.

The Government had earlier said the new line and extensions should be ready by 2012. Sources said with the average construction period taking three to four years, work would have to start by the end of this year.

The 40km route covers some of the most densely populated areas in the Klang Valley such as Damansara and Cheras as well as the fast growing area of Kota Damansara.

It will also serve the heart of the Golden Triangle, the business and financial hub of Kuala Lumpur.

Currently, the area is only served by KL Monorail, which is already suffering from overcrowding.

The new line, which sources said would cost between RM4bil and RM5bil and will be mostly elevated, will provide the much needed expansion to the current 56km, 48-station light rail transit network, especially in view of the rising fuel prices and the new emphasis on public transport.

The line was announced in October 2006 by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak but little has been heard about it since then.

The alignment, made available to The Star, showed the new line running from Kota Damansara along Persiaran Surian to the Damansara-Puchong Expressway and then heading towards the city centre along the Sprint Expressway, through Bangsar Baru and Jalan Bangsar.

It will then run parallel to the existing Kelana Jaya LRT line (formerly Putra-LRT) to KL Sentral, Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek before heading to the Golden Triangle along Jalan Raja Chulan.

The route will then pass Pasar Rakyat in Bukit Bintang and then Jalan Tun Razak where it will join Jalan Cheras.

It will continue along the road and the Cheras-Kajang Expressway to the Balakong interchange near Cheras Batu 11.

Passengers will be able to switch with the existing Kelana Jaya LRT line at Bangsar, KL Sentral, Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek; and the Ampang LRT line (formerly Star-LRT) at Masjid Jamek and Maluri.

There will be around 30 stations along the line, including the interchange stations.