Updates #66 (Sg Buloh ITT)

Updates #66

1. Article: Thumbs-up for Sg Buloh hub (Malay Mail) – A government source revealed the location of the north-bound Integrated Transport Terminal (ITT) in Sungai Buloh, linking the proposed express bus terminal not unsimilar to TBS with the proposed Sg Buloh – Kajang MRT line.

The Malay Mail understands the north-bound ITT site had been identified to be at the current Rubber Research Institute (RRI) land in Sungai Buloh as part of the planned township under the Greater KL Strategic Development Project.

“The proposed site will be at the intersection of the Sungai Buloh federal road and Persiaran Mahogani in Kota Damansara. It will be built concurrently with the first phase of the MRT project linking Sungai Buloh-Kajang, which is scheduled to be completed by 2015,” the source said.

TRANSIT: Well, how does the government think the northbound express buses will connect with the terminal? Unlike the ITTs in Gombak (construction ongoing) and Bandar Tasik Selatan, the proposed ITT in Sg Buloh is not linked directly to any expressway. In the GTP under urban public transport chapter, the identified Gombak ITT terminal area squares off both MRR2 and Terminal Gombak LRT Station. In the same way, why not the Terminal Bersepadu Utara area encompass land parcel between KTM Komuter Sg Buloh and PLUS Highway, or over Jalan Kuala Selangor if necessary?

Isn’t the present Sg Buloh to Kajang KTM corridor suitable for upgrading works that would allow the present KTM Komuter service to achieve world’s metro capacity standard of above 50,000 passengers per direction per hour, even greater than Sri Petaling and Kelana Jaya lines’ capacities combined?

2. Article: Ops against errant bus operators at new Rawang terminal (The Star) – self explanatory – a quote is below:

A JOINT operation involving the police, Road Transport Department (RTD), Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) and Selayang Municipal Council was held at the new Rawang bus and taxi terminal on Tuesday.

MPS public relations director Mohd Zin Masoad said the joint operation was to check whether buses were following the routes assigned to them by CVLB.

“Several buses were fined for contravening transport regulations.

“However, we have yet to tabulate the numbers as various authorities were involved.

3. Letter: Midnight charge at 11.45pm unfair (The Star) – Soh Beng Teong of KL complains about being charged the midnight charge at 11:45 pm.

4. Article: Passengers Stranded As Locomotive Catches Fire (Bernama) – About 600 passengers, including 30 tourists, were stranded when the diesel-powered locomotive of the Senandung Langkawi train on the way to Hadyai caught fire near the Segambut roundabout on 1 January 2011. The ondscene blog claims that the locomotive was an IRCON YDM from India.

5. Article: Train fire derails honeymoon plans (The Star) – Iskandar Hidayat Shaharudin, 25, and his wife Noornazwin Adila Abdul Aziz, 22, were on the train which left KL Sentral to Thailand when it caught fire at around 9.45pm.

6. Article: Minister to help hawkers strike a good deal (The Star) – more politicking around Terminal Bersepadu Selatan.

7. Article: Tackling Beijing’s traffic (The Star) – Chow How Ban discusses some of the initiatives undertaken by Beijing’s transport commission to reduce traffic congestion and encourage the use of public transport. Beijing will inaugurate 5 new MRT lines in January 2011.

8. Article: Land belongs to public (The Star) – residents of the area around Bandar Tasik Selatan question how the developer managed to cordon off public land around a nearby lake and build a number of estate houses.

8. Article: Driver killed in car-bus crash (The Star) – SITIAWAN: Twenty-one passengers escaped unhurt when the express bus they were travelling in crashed into a car.

However, the driver of the car, Ong Yeow Hing, 23, was killed in the accident that happened at 10th kilometre of the Ipoh-Lumut Highway at 10am yesterday.