19 Civil Engineering students from Monash University Malaysia visited the Sentul Barat MRT Station on 26 September 2022 as part of a study trip to the Klang Valley to learn more about the rail and public infrastructure, particularly on the concepts and processes used in the MRT Putrajaya (PY) Line, and demonstrate real-world solutions to the students.

Ts. Noor Aiman Samsudin, Project Manager I of MRT PY Line welcomed the students and gave an introduction about MRT Corp, MRT Kajang (KG) Line, and MRT PY Line. The students were briefed on the planning process which includes land acquisition, the importance of the selection of alignment, cost-benefit analysis, tender and procurement processes. The students also learned about the construction process from design and planning to the actual construction phase and the final inspection by Agensi Pengangkutan Awam Darat.

The study visit continued with a presentation from Mohd Edzuan Idris, Assistant Manager from Planning and Design of MRT Putrajaya Line where he gave the overall planning of MRT PY Line. The comprehensive presentation covered the project overview, project alignment criteria, ridership information and mode of access at the stations such as park and ride, drop and ride, taxi, bus, walking, and interchange with other railways. He then went on to describe the stations’ basic elements for both elevated and underground stations. The students also learned about the importance of comprehensive way-finding signage at the MRT stations in order to aid passengers to, from, and moving within the station. The signage and way-finding include informational signage, directional signage, and identification signage.

Muhammad Qiyam Abdul Halim, Senior Manager from Planning and Design of MRT PY Line then continued with a presentation on Station Theme. He explained that the MRT PY Line adopted the Line Wide Identity to differentiate MRT KG Line and MRT PY Line. For the station theme, MRT PY Line stations are categorised into three themes – Heritage Stations, Contemporary Stations, and Progressive Stations and each station has its own personalization.

Shahrul Nizam Shoabani, Project Manager II of MRT PY Line continued with a presentation on Tunneling works and challenges they faced in the underground stations, especially in urban areas. Khairul Affandi Mohd Zainan, Assistant Manager of MRT PY Line then closed the presentation with further details on construction works at the underground stations, the challenges and how to overcome them.

After the presentations, the students were brought for a tour around the Sentul Barat MRT Station. Dr. Susilawati, Professor Representative of Monash University Malaysia who led the students for the study visit, expressed her gratefulness to MRT Corp for hosting the study visit and hope for a continuous collaboration with MRT Corp in the future.