Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad signed a INR 494 million contract agreement with Scomi Rail Bhd a subsidiary of Scomi Engineering Bhd, to provide 12 sets of new 4 car trains for the existing KL Monorail line.
Under the contract, Scomi will also undertake the upgrading works on the monorail stations and the Electrical and Mechanical system as well as building a new depot. The scope of works will include design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning and the project is scheduled to be completed by July 2013.
The 2-car-trains running on the KL monorail line are currently serving at 35% over capacity and it is projected that this number will increase substantially by 2012. To meet this demand, Prasarana has contracted Scomi to double the capacity of the current KL monorail line to 6,400 pphpd (passengers per hour per direction) with the new 4 car trains. At the same time, all 11 monorail stations will be upgraded to cater for the increase in ridership and to accommodate the length of the 4 car train.
Witnessing the signing ceremony, Transport Minister, Dato’ Seri Kong Cho Ha said the ministry lauds efforts to improve service quality and efficiency of our public transportation system. He said that “If we are to stand amongst emerging countries like Japan, we need to deploy a multi modal system that considers various modes and connections to fill its optimal role in the overall transport system. That is why we recognise Scomi’s ability to offer a home grown technology, a made in Malaysia solution, with the introduction of its new 4-car monorail fleet.”
Mr Tan Sri Ismail Adam Prasarana Group chairman said that “The KL Monorail is the only rail system that provides the last mile travel for many Central Business District bound passengers as it is currently the only rail system able to navigate through limited space in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Projecting that the KL Monorail line will eventually operate at 85% over capacity within the next few years, Prasarana has move forward to step up improvements and double its capacity in 2 years.”
Earlier this year, Scomi announced that it had secured two projects in Brazil with its consortium partners, the INR 2.6 billion Line 17 Sao Paolo Monorail project and the INR 2.76 billion Manaus Monorail Project. The Mumbai Monorail Project which was awarded back in 2008 to Scomi and its consortium partner L&T is due to be completed by 2012.
