KOTA SAMARAHAN, Dec 16 — Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today said the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) or Blue Line of the Kuching Urban Transport System (KUTS) will start providing passenger service in stages from the fourth-quarter of 2025.

He said fares will be set under a control price mechanism to ensure that it will not burden the people.

"The low fares will also encourage more people and tourists to board ART as the main form of transportation,” he said at the launch of construction of phase one and KUTS’ Rembus depot.

He said the construction of the Red Line (phase two) and Green Line (phase three) will follow after the completion of the first phase.

He added the whole KUTS project is estimated to cost RM6 billion and will be fully financed by the state government, stating that the amount will be within the state’s financial capability.

Abang Johari said the ART system will also be extended to Serian at a later stage.

He said Sarawak will be the first in the Asean region to use hydrogen fuel for its public transport system.

The premier said the state government will also implement the ART system in Bintulu, but at a later date.

Earlier in his speech, Sarawak Metro chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Husain said the Blue Line will be from Rembus here to Hikmah Exchange in the city centre, covering a distance of 27.6 kilometres while the Red Line is from Kuching Sentral to Pending, covering a distance of 12.3 kilometres.

He said the Green Line will be from Pending to Damai Central in Santubong, covering a distance of 30 kilometres.

"The backbone of the KUTS project is of course the introduction of the ART vehicles, which are powered by hydrogen fuel cells,” he said, adding that the ART will be supported by a network of hydrogen-powered feeder buses, which will provide the first-mile and last-mile connectivity for the KUTS.

He said Sarawak Metro, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), has already awarded the contracts for packages one and two of the KUTS Project in July and November this year.

He added the package one contract, valued at RM1.425 billion, is for the supply of the rolling stock, which is the hydrogen-powered ART vehicles, depot equipment and maintenance vehicles, signalling and control system and automatic platform gate.

He said package two, valued at RM448 million, is for the supply of telecommunication, supervisory control and data acquisition, automatic fare collection, computerised maintenance management system operation control centre and information technology system.

On the Rembus depot, valued at RM64.3 million, Aziz said it will be the site for the KUTS’s hydrogen feeder bus fleet, as well as SEDC Energy Sdn Bhd’s hydrogen production plant.

"Other facilities at this depot include our hydrogen refuelling facility, stabling yard, test track, automatic wash plant, mechanical and infrastructure workshop, and administration building.

"Our Rembus Depot is scheduled to begin operation in the fourth quarter of 2025, coinciding with the opening of phase one of the ART passenger service for the Blue Line,” he said.