"Too early to assess Putrajaya MRT route on peak-hour congestion" - Loke

According to Transport Minister Anthony Loke, it is still too early to assess the effectiveness of the Putrajaya route's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) service in reducing traffic congestion. This is because peak-hour congestion remains severe, particularly on the MEX Highway, the Federal Highway, and the Kuala Lumpur-Sungai Besi Highway, especially in the morning and evening, he explained. "The situation of peak hour congestion is quite critical, particularly during the month of Ramadan, but it is still too early to see the effectiveness of this MRT line to reduce road congestion," he said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim launched the Putrajaya MRT line, which went into full operation on March 16. Loke said at a press conference after launching the Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) Renewable Energy Programme at the Salak Tinggi ERL Complex here on Thursday (April 6), his ministry aimed for the Putrajaya line to carry 200,000 passengers per day, up from about 80,000 now. He claims that the number of passengers recorded during the first two weeks of free operation was 100,000 per day. "It's normal because if it's free, many people will use it, but we're seeing an increase in the number of passengers using public transportation."

"We will take some time to increase the number of passengers; indeed, this is a normal thing that takes time in all rail services," he said. Meanwhile, Loke stated that the renewable energy programme initiative will be expanded to public transportation stations throughout the country, particularly in the rail transportation sector. "This policy will be extended to operators such as Prasarana and Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB), and we intend to install it on MRT and LRT stations throughout the Klang Valley in the future," he said.

The first phase of ERL's renewable energy programme entails the installation of solar panels on the roofs of Bandar Tasik Selatan and Salak Tinggi stations, both of which have been fully operational since last year, as well as the most recent one at Salak Tinggi ERL Depot.