RM1.5b railway link to Subang airport

by **hlk** Thu 03 Nov 2011, 08:39

Kuala Lumpur: Tan Sri Ravindran Menon's Subang Skypark Sdn Bhd is believed to have received an offer from the government to undertake a RM1.5 billion project to build a railway line, people familiar with the matter said yesterday.

The railway line is to help connect the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) station in Subang Jaya, Selangor, to the Skypark Terminal at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.

Business Times understands that Subang Skypark will also link the line to the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, where it will integrate with the MRT and KTMB stations in Sungai Buloh.

Subang Skypark is the developer for SkyPark Terminal, formerly known as Terminal 3.

The company has been lobbying the government to build the railway line for more than five years, sources said.

It is understood that the railway project was recently approved under the Economic Transformation Programme to improve public transportation.

"This is a Private Financing Initiative where the project will be funded by Subang Skypark. The project involving 23km may cost between RM1 billion and RM1.5 billion," the source said.

Ravindran, who is Subang Skypark executive director, was not available for comment.

The source said the project will be undertaken in two phases over a period of two to three years.

Under the first phase of development, the firm will construct a new railway line using the existing alignment from the KTMB station right up to Sri Subang near the roundabout leading to the airport.

Petronas funded the existing alignment for KTMB to transport petrol from the station to the airport. The train service was halted a few years ago.

The source added that Subang Skypark will then extend the railway line by about 8km from Sri Subang to Skypark Terminal.

"The government wants train services between KL Sentral in Brickfields right up to Skypark Terminal to start in two years," the source said.

For phase two, the company will extend the railway line by about 15km from Skypark Terminal to Sungai Buloh