JUST this week, the Sarawak’s autonomous rapid transit (ART) was on an engineering run at The Ithmus in the city. The video that was shared following the trial was sadly met by scepticism, questioning the viability of the transport system to solve the traffic woes in Kuching.
Some were saying that it is essentially a glorified bus, some said this will only contribute to more traffic jams as it will take up a dedicated lane along the city’s road stretch and some even said that it will not be applicable in rural areas.
From the reactions that were obtained, a problem that can be easily observed is that the lack of understanding or education on the application of ART. Firstly, yes, it is a bus in the most rudimentary sense. But to understand why ART was mooted as a solution not only in Sarawak but in other countries of the world, we must first understand the pitfalls of a rail system.
The rail system in the country which accommodates light rail transit (LRT) first built in the 1990s have served the population, but at the same time, it presents a new set of problem which is the first mile and the last mile. A light rail transit system will only be able to traverse between its stations, from Point A to Point B. Building the infrastructure that is necessary to create a Point C, D, E and so on incurs a high cost.
Sometimes the cost is not the only problem, there is the issue of space particularly in congested city centres for the station as well as the elevated rail itself. First mile and last mile refers to distance between public transport and the end-destination, and the last mile is the distance between the residence and public transport.
This is where buses play their roles to fill in the gaps as they have access to the road system, picking up passengers somewhere nearby their residence to the rail station. Essentially, ART, given its buslike features and not having to stick to one rail, can be a compelling solution to this problem. It does not follow a rail which means it can scale beyond the reach of the restrictive rail link.
This same advantage also means that when implemented fully, it can cover a bigger distance beyond what is possible within same time period to build rail infrastructure which is needed by the LRT. So, the bus-like appearance and trait are not a fault — it is a feature.
ART is classified as a mid-tier transportation system — first mooted as a fully electric train-bus hybrid invented by CRRC, a mass transit manufacturer in China. Currently, it has been deployed in three Chinese cities and is being considered in a myriad of cities across the world to connect larger train or metro systems in a suburb or on the outskirts of a city. What’s different in Sarawak is that it is the first ART system which runs on hydrogen, a world’s first which is notable and a definite source of pride for the people.
The prototype will undergo a two-month engineering run at The Isthmus in September and October before beginning its Stage 2 proof of concept (POC) exercise along a short stretch of the Blue Line in Samarahan this November. The smart tram can travel up to 245km in a single charge of hydrogen.
“The smart tram is the first to adopt a hydrogen energy power system, which has the advantages of longer driving range and shorter refuelling time, as well as energy saving and environmental protection,” CRRC said in a Xinhua report. “It has been upgraded through intelligent design, which is in line with the needs of Malaysia in achieving a zero-emission and intelligent public transport system.”
Possibly the problem of being the first in the world is that the achievement rather falls flat with the local populace, with them not fully understanding what has been achieved. Sarawak is now a world leader in hydrogen powered mass-transit solution and this is something that all of us should be proud of. Hopefully when it is fully implemented, we would understand the concept better and contribute to its ridership. Adoption is important, to both reduce traffic congestion as well as carbon emissions in line with the shared sustainable environment vision.
