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JB may join MRT network
29/03/2008 The
Stat
JOHOR BARU:
Talks are being held with Singapore to extend the republic's Mass Rapid
Transit (MRT) system here.
Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said yesterday that the site of the
30-year-old Bukit Cagar flats, to be demolished in the next two weeks, had
been slated for the proposed Johor MRT station.
The talks were being held under the auspices of the Malaysia-Singapore
Joint Ministerial Committee for the Iskandar Development Region (IDR).
“It has not been determined whether the line will start in Kranji or
Woodlands.
“It doesn’t matter as long as the Johor line is connected with either
one,” Abdul Ghani said, adding that he expected the project to start in
two to three years.
Abdul Ghani said the MRT line would boost public transportation between
Singapore and Johor Baru, as travel would be much smoother.
“It will also reduce traffic congestion along the Causeway, which has been
a common problem for a long time.
On another issue, Abdul Ghani said the state government was currently in
talks with government-linked companies such as UDA Holdings Bhd,
Permodalan Nasional Berhad and South Johor Investment Corporation to
invest in and salvage abandoned projects.
He said that out of 15 abandoned commercial properties in the state,
Kemayan City and Pacific Mall would be revived first as both were more
obvious eyesores compared with the others.
“I had a meeting this morning with the Iskandar Regional Development
Authority and other government-linked companies to solve the problem of
these two projects as soon as possible,” he said.
He said new investors in the IDR had also shown interest in reviving other
abandoned projects. |
