If confirmed, it will replace the existing plans for a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system as the main spine of the state’s public transport network, a change that transport analysts have called for in an Together, experts add, these transportation systems will offer travellers from Singapore and within southern Johor a desperately needed alternative to choked highways and a public bus network plagued by poor frequencies and long waiting times.
However some raise concerns over how the ART system could incur “unnecessary” construction costs compared to the LRT.
Observers also say an improved transportation network could transform connectivity and supercharge plans for the Iskandar region as an investment metropolis, with a proposed Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the horizon set to increase traveller numbers. The region includes four major districts in the southern state – Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Pasir Gudang and Kulai.
Beyond that, Johor is also on the cusp of implementing the special financial zone (SFZ) in Forest City – which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said could allow Johor’s economy to outpace that of other Malaysian states in the next one to two years.With the changes afoot, the various transportation systems will offer travellers from Singapore and within southern Johor a desperately needed alternative to choked highways and a public bus network plagued by poor frequencies and long waiting times.
“By carefully planning and integrating the ART system with the RTS Link and potentially the HSR, southern Johor can create a robust and efficient public transportation network that benefits residents, businesses, and the overall economy,” Associate Professor Nor Aziati Abdul Hamid, senior researcher at the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn’s Centre of Excellence for Rail Industry (ICoE-Rail), told CNA.
They cited how the ART system is developed by China rail manufacturing company CRRC, and being used in some cities including Shanghai, Xian, Perth in Western Australia as well as Monterrey in Mexico.
