Putrajaya MRT Line expected to serve 100,000 commuters by year end

• Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Amir Hamdan said the number of commuters will see a drastic increase when school reopens on March 19 and 20, and due to the free rides offered until March 31.

PUTRAJAYA (March 16): The Putrajaya Mass Rail Transit (MRT) Line, which was launched on Thursday (March 16), is expected to attract 80,000 to 100,000 commuters this year.

Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Amir Hamdan said the number of commuters will see a drastic increase when school reopens on March 19 and 20, and due to the free rides offered until March 31.

"Normally, we can see the number of commuters increase day by day, after those who use the service start sharing their experiences on social media and by word of mouth, especially so since the Putrajaya Line is a new experience," he said.

Amir was speaking to reporters after a walkabout session at the Putrajaya Sentral Station to oversee the operations, and to entertain commuters who started flooding the station since 1pm here on Thursday.

He said the Putrajaya Line is the longest MRT route, covering a distance of 57.7km, and is expected to reduce traffic congestion, especially routes leading to Putrajaya.

Amir said Rapid Bas Sdn Bhd had deployed 118 buses for the Putrajaya service, and will cover 44 routes that involve 23 stations and also offer shuttle service every 15 minutes.

The Putrajaya Line is expected to benefit a population of about two million, while the number of commuters will also continue to increase from time to time like the Kajang MRT service.

Meanwhile, Afizu Rajali, 48, a commuter, when met said the Putrajaya MRT service would offer an alternative mode of public transport apart from Grab, or even to those who use their own vehicles.

"The highways in and around Putrajaya like the Maju Expressway have seen an increase in traffic flow and congestion, which is common these days. With the Putrajaya MRT Line, it will offer a choice for users,” said Afizu, who lives in Putrajaya and will use the MRT service to his office in Cyberjaya.

Jess Lee, 60, said she is excited that the service had finally started after a 20-year wait for the service to reach Cyberjaya and Putrajaya.

"I came back from London for a holiday and stayed in Cyberjaya. I was excited about how Malaysia improved its public transport system. I hope this can be further enhanced to encourage people to use public transport just like in developed nations," she said.

S Yatesh, 19, a student at UNIKOP College in Cyberjaya, said the Putrajaya MRT Line would be a big help, since he would only need to take the train from Sungai Besi to his college.

"Before this, I had to change trains from the Light Rail Transit (LRT) to KLIA Transit, before reaching Cyberjaya. Now, just one service is needed from Sungai Besi," he said.