KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Construction for the ambitious Iskandar Rapid Transit (IRT) project to connect the air, land and sea transport hubs in Johor is scheduled to start by the middle of this year.
The announcement was made by the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), which added that it is targeting the start of the first phase of operations by 2024.
“The Iskandar Rapid Transit will increase the mobility of Johoreans by connecting to the main transportation hubs in Iskandar Malaysia, Senai Airport, Rapid Transit System (RTS), Double Tracking Rail (EDT Gemas – JB), Larkin Sentral and Puteri Harbour,” it said in a statement today.
IRDA said it plans to increase public awareness about the Iskandar Rapid Transit and upcoming Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to be built in and around Iskandar Malaysia in Johor.
According to IRDA, Iskandar Malaysia’s population currently stands at approximately 2.35 million, of which 844,000 people are projected to benefit from using the BRT.
The regional authority said the BRT is also expected to create up to 35,000 new job opportunities.
It added that residents in Iskandar Malaysia can expect to save between 30 and 35 per cent when using public transport once the IRT is fully implemented.
It explained that the IRT would be able to connect 55 feeder routes and 44 direct routes with the main route covering 28 stations.
On November 21 last year, The Star reported then Johor mentri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad saying that the IRT will increase the mobility of people in Iskandar Malaysia, the country’s first economic growth corridor.
Hasni said that it would form the backbone of public transportation connecting to several key areas in the region.
The IRT was formerly known as Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit.
