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Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS)
Official logo
Overview
Native name	Sistem Pengangkutan Bandaraya Kuching
Owner	Sarawak Metro - Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC)
Locale	Greater Kuching, Samarahan and Serian
Transit type	Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit - Guided bi-articulated bus
Number of lines	3
Number of stations	35
Website	www.mysarawakmetro.com/kuts
Operation
Operation will start	2026; 2 years' time (2026)
Operator(s)	Sarawak Metro
Number of vehicles	38
Technical
System length	First phase: 69.9 km (43 mi)
Top speed	70 km/h (43 mph)

The Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) is an under-construction Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) system network that serves Greater Kuching, Samarahan, and Serian. It is the first ART system network to be built outside of China and also the first metro rail system in the state of Sarawak which was touted as one of the methods to ease traffic congestion in the city of Kuching. The project is currently constructed by Sarawak Metro using state funds provided by the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS). The ART lines will connect Kuching to Samarahan and Serian as well as future lines to other parts of Greater Kuching.

Initial LRT proposal

The proposed construction of a RM10.8 billion Kuching light rapid transit (LRT) project was expected to commence by 2019 and was scheduled to be operational by 2024. It was proposed that the LRT will use hydrogen fuel cell rolling-stock with a travel speed of 70–140km/h.

The hydrogen fuel cell trains were in line with the state government's vision to develop a hydrogen economy, as part of its green initiative. Aside from hydrogen-powered trains, Kuching will also be the first city in the country to have hydrogen-powered buses.

Planned routes

On 29 March 2018, the Chief Minister of Sarawak released the routes and stations of three of the six lines with 155.2 kilometers of track to be completed in 2024, while the remaining three lines to be implemented at a later stage. A government-linked company (GLC) called Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd had been registered to manage the LRT system.

Samarahan Line (Line 1)

Serian Line (Line 2)

Station Code	Working Name	Position	Local government	Interchange / Notes
SR1	Batu 12/JPJ	Elevated	MPPadawan	Batu 12 Depot
SR2	Kota Padawan			Near to 10th Mile Bazaar
SR3	Penrissen		MPKS	Near to SMK Wira Penrissen
SR4	Kota Sentosa		MPPadawan	Near to Sentosa Parade
SR5	Kuching Sentral		MBKS	Connected with bus terminal
SR6	Kuching International Airport			Connected to airport terminal
SR7	Pelita Height			Near to RH Plaza
SR8	Tun Jugah			Near to Emporium
SR9				Near to Swinburne University
IS1	Simpang Tiga			Near to Wisma Persekutuan Public Carpark, Interchange station with  1  Samarahan Line
SR10	Jalan Tun Razak			Near to Chung Hua Middle School No.3
SR11	Pending			Near to Puspakom
SR12	Bintawa			Near to Bintawa Industrial Estate
SR13	Isthmus	At-grade	DBKU	Near to Borneo Convention Centre Kuching

Shelving

However, on 1 September 2018, the Chief Minister of Sarawak announced that the project has been placed on hold, citing that the funds allocated to the project will instead be used to build basic amenities for Sarawak's rural areas. Eventually, in July 2019, the Chief Minister of Sarawak said that the new LRT project will be built using artificial intelligence (AI) technology which will remove the need for conventional rails and bringing down the cost of the project, which culminated into adopting the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system from China.

Current ART proposal

In September 2019, the government of Sarawak ultimately decided to go with China's Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) system than LRT due to its more affordable cost where the state transport minister said it will be ready by 2022. The Premier of Sarawak, Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg had initially promised to build the first Kuching ART soon to avoid rising costs, with Chinese companies offering their expertise to collaborate in the construction. In April 2022, Premier Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg disclosed to the Singaporean English daily newspaper, The Straits Times that the ART system will likely consist of 52.6 km of route and is expected to begin construction in the third quarter of the same year, with a projected operational date of 2025.

In August 2023, the state received its first hydrogen-powered ART vehicle prototype and went through an engineering run for two months until September, where it then went through a proof-of-concept testing in November. Besides ART vehicles, Sarawak Metro will procure an additional 55 hydrogen buses which will serve as part of the first and last mile connectivity for the system which are still currently in trial operation since January 2020. As of November 2024, the overall progress of Phase 1 of the Kuching Urban Transportation System is now at 25.8% which includes consultation works, studies and physical works.

Planned routes for Phase 1

On 16 December 2022, the Premier of Sarawak released the Phase 1 integrated transit map of the KUTS project with a 69.9-kilometer route consisting of 3 initial rail lines and a total of 31 stations (with 5 provisional stations) to be completed in stages, with Phase 1 of the Blue Line scheduled to be completed in 2025 while the remaining lines are to be constructed at a later date. Currently, the Green Line has since increased the number of stations from 10 to 14 stations bringing the total number of stations across the Kuching Urban Transportation System to 35 stations. However, only 9 stations are confirmed to be built while the other 5 are under provisional status.

Notes

1. Bold text denotes that the particular landmark is near the area proposed to be a train depot station.

Blue Line alignment

The Blue Line is expected to begin revenue service for Phase 1 on 31 December 2025 starting from the Rembus station until the Riveria station. This initial phase will allow Samarahan residents as well as students from UNIMAS and UiTM to travel seamlessly from their respective places to around the Samarahan area without needing to drive. Phase 1A of the Blue Line, which will be open for revenue service on 30 June 2026, will solely introduce the opening of the new Sungai Kuap bridge as well as the Stutong station, finally connecting the Blue Line to the other side of the river. Finally, Phase 2 of the Blue Line, which will begin revenue service on 31 December 2026, will continue along Wan Alwi and various popular and congested routes in Kuching before finally terminating at Hikmah Exchange station in downtown Kuching.

Red Line alignment

The Red Line is expected to begin revenue service on 31 December 2026, around the same time as Phase 2 of the Blue Line. This line will only have 8 stations at first but is expected to expand in the near future, with potential expansions to Serian and the Kuching Deep Sea Port. It is also expected to be connected with the bus terminal as well as the Kuching International Airport, which will play an important role in providing easy transportation for those leaving or coming from either one of these terminals.

Station Code	Working Name	Station Layout	Local government	Notes / Interchange
SR05	Kuching Sentral	Elevated	MBKS	Connected with bus terminal, walking distance to Farley Shopping Mall, future Interchange station with a future line
SR06	Kuching International Airport			Connected with airport terminal
SR07	Pelita Height			Connected with RH Plaza
SR08	Tun Jugah			Connected with Emporium, Premier 101 Plaza
SR09	Swinburne			Connected with Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, walking distance to KWSP Kuching
SR10  SM10	Simpang Tiga			Walking distance to Wisma Persekutuan, Kenyalang Park Post Office, Interchange station with the  SM10  Blue Line
SR11	Jalan Tun Razak			Near to Chung Hua Middle School No.3
SR12  DM01	Pending	At-grade		Near to Pending Industrial Estate, Interchange station with the  DM01  Green Line

Green Line alignment

The Green Line is expected to begin revenue service on 30 June 2027, with nine confirmed stations and five provisional stations being built at a later date in order to complement future developments which brings a total number of fourteen stations. All stations on this route are expected to be at-grade, however, there is a small section from Santubong station and the Damai Golf Course station which will be elevated due to the inconsistent terrain of the area.

Operation facts

• Project Proponent: Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd
• Line Length (km): Line 1 : 28.1 km (67% Elevated), Line 2 : 24.5 km (96% Elevated)
• Stations: Line 1 : 13 + 1 (provisional), Line 2 : 12
• Interchange : 1
• Depot: Line 1 : Rembus Line 2 : Batu 12
• Operating Speed: Average 35 km/h, Maximum 70 km/h
• Operating Hours: 6.00 am – 12.00 am
• Journey Time: Line 1: 38 minutes, Line 2: 40 minutes
• System: Hydrogen Powered Automated Rapid Transit (ART)
• Features: Trackless, Runs on rubber tyres. Dedicated lane

See also

• Klang Valley Integrated Transit System
• Bi-articulated bus
• Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit
• Sarawak Railway Line
• Kota Kinabalu Line

References

1. "Sarawak Metro speeds up rail contract awards".
2. ^ Samuel Aubrey (19 March 2017). "CM: Kuching – Serian LRT under study". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
3. "Sarawak unveils plan for public transport link from Kuching to Serian". Borneo Bulletin. 19 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
4. vernonchancom (31 March 2018). "Kuching LRT ready by 2024, will use hydrogen fuel cell trains". VERNONCHAN.COM. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
5. "Sarawak Could Have LRT System Up and Running by 2020". New Straits Times. Property Hunter. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
6. ^ Rintos Mail (29 March 2018). "LRT lines connecting Kuching, Samarahan and Serian to be operational by 2024". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
7. "Sarawak's LRT to use hydrogen fuel cell trains". The Star. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
8. vernonchancom (31 March 2018). "Kuching LRT ready by 2024, will use hydrogen fuel cell trains". VERNONCHAN.COM. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
9. ^ "The Kuching LRT". Kuching Borneo. 29 March 2018. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
10. Chan, Vernon (31 March 2018). "Kuching LRT ready by 2024, will use hydrogen fuel cell trains". vernonchan.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
11. "KUTS EIA 2021" (PDF). 2021.
12. Sulok Tawie (1 September 2018). "No LRT for Sarawak for time being, CM confirms". Malay Mail. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
13. "LRT project may use new AI tech to 'read' tracks — CM". The Borneo Post. 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
14. Samuel Aubrey (21 September 2019). "CM: Sarawak decides on ART to improve public transport". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
15. Rintos Mail (24 September 2019). "Sarawak's ART public transport system ready for action in 2022, says transport minister". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
16. Sharon Ling (29 April 2017). "Kuching to have LRT – 'We don't want to be like KL'". The Star. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
17. Lim How Pim (30 April 2017). "China offers expertise in building Sarawak's future LRT system". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
18. Julia Chan (29 April 2022). "Report: Sarawak premier defends Kuching LRT project as key economic building block". Malay Mail. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
19. Chief Chapree (24 August 2023). "Sarawak tests the world's first hydrogen-powered Smart Tram in Kuching". SoyaCincau. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
20. Wong, Jack (8 July 2024). "Hydrogen buses to power Sarawak Metro's KUTS project". The Star. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
21. "Sarawak KUTS Phase One at 25.8%, says state Transport Minister". The Star (Malaysia). 18 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
22. Mail, Rintos (16 December 2022). "Premier launches Phase 1 of Kuching Urban Transportation System". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
23. "Sarawak Metro: First phase of Kuching Urban Transportation System to be operational by end-2027". Malay Mail. 16 May 2024.

v t e Rail transport in Malaysia
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Major Operators	Keretapi Tanah Melayu Rapid Rail Express Rail Link Sabah State Railway
Inter-city rail	Main Lines Current KTM West Coast Line KTM East Coast Line Western Sabah Railway Line Future MRL East Coast Rail Link Planning North Eastern Sabah Railway Line Sarawak Railway Line Shelved Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail Services KTM ETS KTM Intercity Sabah State Railway International Express Eastern and Oriental Express
Commuter rail	Suburban Current KTM Komuter 1 Batu Caves-Pulau Sebang Line 2 Tanjung Malim-Port Klang Line  1  Ipoh-Butterworth Line  2  Padang Besar-Butterworth Line Airport Link Current 6 KLIA Ekspres 7 KLIA Transit 10 KL Sentral-Terminal Skypark Line
Metro rail	LRT Current 3 Ampang Line 4 Sri Petaling Line 5 Kelana Jaya Line Future 11 Shah Alam Line Mutiara Line Planning LRT Kota Kinabalu Line MRT Current 9 Kajang Line 12 Putrajaya Line Planning 13 Circle Line ART Future Kuching ART Monorail Current 8 KL Monorail Melaka Monorail (suspended) Planning 14 Putrajaya Monorail Kota Kinabalu Monorail
Border link	Current KTM Intercity (Shuttle Tebrau) Future  RTS  Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System
Other rail	People mover KLIA Aerotrain Funicular Penang Hill Railway Gondola lift Langkawi Cable Car Genting Skyway Awana Skyway Penang Hill Cable Car
Rolling stock & manufacturers	Inter-city KTM Class 23 KTM Class 24 KTM Class 25 YDM4 KTM Class 61 DMU KTM Class 91 EMU KTM Class 93 EMU KTM Class 94 EMU Kawasaki diesel locomotives DMU Commuter KTM Class 81 EMU KTM Class 82 EMU KTM Class 83 EMU KTM Class 92 EMU Airport link CNR Changchun ERL "Equator" EMU Siemens Desiro ET 425 M Hyundai Rotem KTM Class 83 EMU LRT CRRC Zhuzhou Articulated LRV "AMY" Bombardier Innovia ART 200/Metro 300 MRT Siemens Inspiro "The Guiding Light" Hyundai Rotem EMU Monorail Scomi SUTRA Others Bombardier CX-100 Doppelmayr Garaventa 100-FUL Lugano–Stazione Doppelmayr Garaventa 6-MGD Leitner Ropeways 8-MGD
Depots	Current Ampang (LRT) Batu Gajah (Inter-city) Bukit Tengah (Commuter) Brickfields (Monorail) Kajang (MRT) Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru (LRT) KLIA MAHB (KLIA Aerotrain) Rawang (Commuter) Salak Tinggi (ERL) Sentul (Commuter) Serdang (MRT) Seremban (Commuter) Subang (LRT) Sungai Buloh (MRT) Tanjung Aru (Inter-city) Future Johan Setia (LRT) Ayer Panas (MRT) Taman Midah (MRT)
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v t e Urban rail transit in Southeast Asia
Indonesia	Java Greater Jakarta Integrated Mass Transit System Jakarta Commuter rail Jakarta MRT  M2   2B  Jakarta LRT  3  Jabodebek LRT  Bogor   Grogol   SHIA  SHIA Skytrain SHIA ARS Whoosh HSR Merak Commuter Greater Bandung Commuter  Bandung   Walahar   Garut   KCJB  Yogyakarta-Solo Commuter Adisumarmo ARS YIA ARS Surakarta Railbus Greater Semarang Commuter Greater Surabaya Commuter Sumatra Aceh Commuter Palembang LRT Kualanamu ARS  A  Greater Medan Commuter Minangkabau Express Padang Commuter Medan LRT  Batang Kuis   Lau Cih   Cemara  Lesser Sunda Islands Bali MRT  Cemagi   Nusa Dua   Sanur   Ubud
Laos	Boten–Vientiane railway
Malaysia	Peninsular Malaysia Klang Valley Integrated Transit System 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 KTM Komuter Northern Sector  1   2  Penang LRT  3  KLIA Aerotrain Penang Hill Railway  ETS   RTS   ECR  East Malaysia Kota Kinabalu LRT Monorail
Myanmar	Yangon Circular Railway Mandalay Circular Railway Yangon Urban Mass Rapid Transit
Philippines	Luzon Metro Manila Rail Network Manila LRT  Line 1   Line 2   Line 6  Manila MRT  Line 3   Line 4   Line 7   Line 8   Line 9   Line 10   Line 11  Makati Intra-city Subway PNR  NSCR   NECL  Bicol Commuter Pasig River Light Rail SkyTrain Visayas Cebu Monorail Mindanao Davao People Mover
Singapore	Singapore MRT NSL EWL NEL CCL DTL TEL JRL CRL Singapore LRT  BPLRT   SKLRT   PGLRT  Changi Airport Skytrain Sentosa Express  RTS
Thailand	Bangkok Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit Master Plan BTS  Silom   Sukhumvit   Gold  MRT  Blue   Purple   Yellow   Pink   Orange   Brown  BMA  Grey   Light Blue   Silver  SRTET  ARL   Light Red   Dark Red  APM Suvarnabhumi Don Mueang Utapao HSR Eastern Northeastern Northern Southern Provincial Chiang Mai LRT Hat Yai Monorail Khon Kaen LRT Nakhon Ratchasima LRT Pattaya Monorail Phitsanulok Tram Phuket Island LRT
Vietnam	Hanoi Metro Line 2A Line 3 HCMC Metro North-South HSR
Note: Under construction & planned lines are in Italics

• Proposed rail infrastructure in Malaysia
• Kuching
• Bus rapid transit in Malaysia
• Transport in Sarawak