Cargo line plan revival?

By Sharen Kaur

The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) will undertake a study on the viability of building a new railway line for cargo services in Port Klang.

SPAD chief operating officer Mohd Nur Kamal said the possible new route, linking Serendah to Port Klang, is to help divert cargo traffic from the main KTM freight line between Rawang and Seremban, which is currently facing a bottleneck.

Business Times learnt that the line (Serendah-Port Klang) will stretch about 100km and may cost about RM4 billion to build.

The idea to build the line was first mooted in 2008.

KTMB was directed by the government to carry out a preliminary engineering and route alignment study for the Serendah-Port Klang-Seremban by-pass line in September 2008 but the efforts did not materialise.

It was reported recently that the government was planning to revive a plan to build the line.

It was also reported that the frontrunner for the job is a joint venture comprising Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) and DMIA Sdn Bhd.

"It is in our masterplan to build the line (Serendah-Port Klang). But we have not started any study on the matter as the government hasn't approved it," Mohd Nur Kamal told Business Times in a telephone interview.

Mohd Nur Kamal squashed talks that SPAD had received several proposals from companies to build the railway line, including from the MRCB-DMIA joint venture.

An official from MRCB said there is nothing in the works regarding the building of the Serendah-Port Klang line.

"We have not established a joint venture, or signed agreements with any party. There is no draft created. We are interested in the project, as well as other developments," he said.

The Serendah-Port Klang link is one of two routes that the government is looking to implement under Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB)'s freight relief line plan to divert cargo trains from Kuala Lumpur to Port Klang.

The other is a line connecting the KTM station in Subang Jaya to Subang Skypark at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, and then to the Sungai Buloh KTM station and the Sungai Buloh-Kajang mass rapid transit system.

Business Times reported a year ago that the government had given Subang Skypark Sdn Bhd the nod to build the link from the KTM station in Subang Jaya to Subang Skypark, at a cost of around RM500 million.

The two lines will help boost KTMB's freight division, which, according to its president Datuk Elias Kadir, had registered losses of about RM60 million last year.

Read more: Cargo line plan revival? http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIM...l#ixzz2FkNoVfQB

"May"? It should be must! They can't expect ppl to enjoy taking komuter if always interrupted to give way for slow cargo trains

Govt is studying two routes.

I prefer the Serendah-Port Klang alignment 

On the other hand, the line should be designed so that it is possible to run Komuter service as well. Imagine if places such as Ijok, Kuala Selangor go KTM train service.

Indeed. It would allow for some alternative for future forms of public transport for these far out suburbs. Perhaps 4 lanes of tracks?