Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced that all rides on the Mass Rapid Transit Putrajaya Line (MRT2) will be free until the end of the month.
“Starting from 3pm today until March 31, we will not take payments for this MRT line,” he said during the launch of Phase 2 of the MRT2 at the Serdang Depot this morning.
The launch was also attended by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, among others.
The free ride, Anwar said, is one of the government’s strategies to ease the burden of the public.
The premier also touched on the issue of traffic congestion and its impact on productivity in the workforce.
“The productivity of a country will be affected due to traffic congestion.
“The amount of time spent being stuck in traffic will only cause people to lose out on being productive,” he said.
The premier added that this was the reason why he would like the Finance Ministry, which he helmed, to be more attentive to the Transport Ministry.
“Loke is doing an impeccable job and I know the public agrees.
“Which is why the Finance Ministry will help his ministry as much as possible so they can, in turn, help the public as well,” he said.
Anwar also announced that Loke is preparing a comprehensive public transportation framework which will be presented to the cabinet once it’s ready to be implemented.
On top of the free rides, Loke also announced that My50 Unlimited Travel Pass holders can utilise the new MRT line.
What’s new with MRT2?
Phase 1 of the MRT2 was launched in June last year. The line introduces 36 new stations from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya Sentral.
It has 10 interchanges and connecting stations, including Titiwangsa, Ampang Park, Chan Sow Lin and Sungai Besi.
The Putrajaya line will be served by 49 electric four-car trains, named "Ducky," with each train having the capacity to transport up to 1,200 individuals simultaneously.
A complete ride from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya will take 84 minutes, with a frequency of four to six minutes during peak hours.
A total of 6,416 parking bays are available across 17 stations.
Passengers are also able to enjoy MRT’s ‘Park-and-Ride’ where for a whole day’s worth of parking, it would only cost a flat rate of RM4.30 if the same Touch ‘n Go card is also used for the train.
The MRT Putrajaya Line feeder buses will also offer transportation services for the initial and final parts of the journey, covering over 350km by means of 31 routes to ensure connectivity. - Mkini
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