KUALA LUMPUR: THE completion of the country’s first Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) serves as a testament that Malaysia has taken massive strides in improving its public transportation facilities to enhance the livability of Greater Kuala Lumpur and the Klang
Valley.
Under the National Transformation Programme (NTP), the Barisan Nasional government has improved the lives of many city folk.
The MRT Line 1 from Sungai Buloh to Kajang was launched on July 17, two weeks ahead of schedule.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, at the launch of the 2017 NTP annual report last month, described the early completion as a significant achievement in the government’s efforts to improve livability and connectivity of Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.
“Completion of the MRT demonstrates the excellent management of the project, which led to its timely delivery, below budget.
“The 51km line serves a population of over 1.2 million living along the Sungai Buloh-Kajang corridor, offering significant benefits to the public by reducing household spending on transportation, commuting times and traffic congestion.”
Currently, the second MRT line, the Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP) Line, is 12 per cent completed and is expected to be fully operational by 2022.
The two lines are expected to cater to 900,000 commuters daily.
In addition, the NTP report stated that Kuala Lumpur was rated as the second most livable city in Southeast Asia.
Kuala Lumpur has attracted 73 multinational companies, with 10,971 jobs created since 2011.
To further improve the lives of the people, the government had made an effort to beautify the rivers around the city.
“The iconic River of Life project strives to clean up and beautify the designated eight rivers with the aim of improving environmental sustainability, catalyse investments and ensure better living quality in and around the country’s capital.
“The project was given the Award of Excellence by the International Federation of Landscape Architects under the Cultural and Urban Landscape category of the Asia-Pacific Landscape Architecture Awards 2017,” Najib said.