THE Board of Directors of Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp), led by Chairman Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, took a ride on the MRT train from the Semantan Station to the Sungai Buloh Station on 26 July 2016.

This is the first time visitors who were not directly involved in the construction of the MRT Project have had the opportunity to ride on the MRT train.  The ride covered the entire Phase One section of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line which will be operational by December this year.

Besides Ali, the other members of the board who were part of the visit were Datuk Che Mokthar Che Ali, Dato’ Sutinah Sutan, Datuk Dr Ir Abdul Latif Mohd Som and Encik Ahmad Zubir Zahid.

They were accompanied by MRT Corp Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Sri Shahril Mokhtar, MRT SBK Line Project Director Mr Marcus Karakashian and other members of the MRT Corp Leadership Team.

The visitors gathered at the MRT Corp Corporate Headquarters before heading to the Semantan Station to board the train at 9.05am.

The train travelled along the guideway and made stops at all stations along the way. At the Kwasa Sentral Station, the visitors were brought on a walkabout within the station, which already had most of its facilities such as fare gates and ticket vending machines installed.

The train then proceeded to the Sungai Buloh MRT Station where the visitors were shown how the station was seamlessly integrated with the Sungai Buloh KTM Station.

Commuters would be able to easily transfer from KTM trains onto MRT trains and vice-versa by using a common concourse linking the two stations.

Karakashian also pointed out the multi-storey park and ride facility which was constructed at Sungai Buloh which would cater to both KTM and MRT users.

Commenting on the visit, Ali said he was very happy with the progress of the Project.

“It’s great to see that the MRT Project has managed to build stations in areas that are densely populated. Not only does the MRT cater to these areas but it also links with other train services such as the KTM. This will enhance the usage of public transportation in the Klang Valley which will benefit the entire population” said Ali upon visiting the various stations.

He added that the public is certainly looking forward to Phase One of the MRT SBK Line operating in December this year.

The train then made a non-stop return journey to the Semantan Station.