JOHOR BARU – About 40% of the RM2 billion infrastructure construction portion of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project will be allocated to Bumiputera contractors, says Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp).
Its chief executive officer, Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim, said the jobs will be awarded to Bumiputera contractors grade 1 to 6, and details of work packages will be announced by the state government next week.
He said of the RM3.7 billion of the Malaysian portion for the RTS project cost, RM2 billion is for construction.
“So, 40% of construction jobs (for Bumiputeras) is worth RM800 million,” he told a press conference after a virtual ground breaking ceremony for the Bukit Chagar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex here today.
The virtual ceremony was graced by Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
Also present were Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad and State Secretary Datuk Azmi Rohani.
The construction works include a station in Bukit Chagar, a depot in Wadi Hana, viaducts through Johor Baru city centre and over the Straits of Johor to the Malaysian-Singapore boundary, and the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex in Bukit Chagar.
This facility will be part of a transit-oriented development which will also include a multi-modal transport hub and mixed-property development.
“The multimodal transportation hub will have many many floors. I can’t remember how many (but) it will be a skycraper. So, out of the many floors, RTS will take up four floors for the ICQ.
“We are going to award these (packages) stage by stage and, for now, we are only awarding advanced works for the ICQ building, as well as reference and design for the ICQ building.
“We are going to award the remaining packages much later. For the ICQ project's subcontractors and small contractors, that will start coming in towards the end of this year.”
He said only RM86 million has been awarded so far for advanced works for the ICQ area.
In his speech earlier, Zarif said the RTS development will be a catalyst for Johor Baru development and result in spillover effects, including job creation.
He said Sultan Ibrahim had also mooted the idea of organising a competition for the best facade design for the RTS station, featuring Johor's uniqueness and bringing back the nostalgia of train journeys and its history in the state.
On July 30, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his Singapore counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, met at the midpoint of the Johor Causeway as symbolic gesture to resume the RTS Link project, after three postponements.
The project was mooted in 2010 and announced in 2011, and involves a 4km shuttle system connecting Bukit Chagar and Woodlands in Singapore. – Bernama, November 22, 2020
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