THE first autonomous rapid transit (ART) vehicle for the Kuching urbanisation transport system has arrived, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg said.

He said this at the launch of the digital centre at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) in Samarahan this morning.

Tun Abang Haji Openg digital centre is named after his father, who was the state’s first governor from September 1963 following Sarawak’s independence from Britain until his death in March 1969.

The ART is the heart of the RM6 billion revamp of Kuching’s urbanisation transport system (KUTS) – a project to cater for the needs of Kuching and Samarahan folk up to 2030.

Abang Johari did not state how many vehicles, produced by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co Ltd, were being delivered, but said the vehicle ship is already docked at the Senari terminal, an inland port 16km from Kuching.

The ART vehicles Sarawak had chosen will be hydrogen powered, have a top speed of 70kph, run on rubber tyres and carry up to 300 passengers per trip.

The vehicle being delivered could probably be used in the proof of concept demonstration slated to be held in the third quarter of the year.

The proof of concept demonstration will be on the KUTS first line that runs from its depot at Rembus in Samarahan to the Kuching city mosque at the Hikmah exchange.

The line, which will serve Universiti Teknologi Mara and Unimas, is 27.6km long and will have 14 stations.

The Borneo Post, citing sources, reported that the vehicle will first undergo a two-month engineering run at The Isthmus in September and October before beginning its stage 2 proof of concept in November.

Abang Johari told the Unimas students at the digital centre launch that if they pay their fare with the S Pay Global, they will get a discount.

Sarawak Metro, the manager of the rail system, has said the line, designated the “blue line”, is expected to begin revenue service in 2025. – August 4, 2023.