KUCHING– The world’s first hydrogen-powered autonomous rapid transit (ART) smart tram is expected to arrive at Senari Port here tomorrow (Saturday) from China.
This was confirmed by several sources close to the project, following a post making its rounds on social media.
It is understood that the vessel carrying the prototype is already in Sarawak waters, but it will only enter the port tomorrow.
The sources said relevant information would be released to the media tomorrow.
The state’s ART system comes under Sarawak Metro, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).
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 hydrogen-powered smart tram was independently developed by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co Ltd.
According to CRRC, 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.
“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,” the company said in a Xinhua report last month.
The smart tram can travel up to 245km in a single charge of hydrogen.
During a dinner function here on July 28, Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said Sarawak’s first ART would be named ‘Bulan’ after the state’s first locomotive during the reign of Rajah Charles Brooke.
He said naming the state’s first ART ‘Bulan’ would be a reminder of the significant history of Sarawak’s old railway line, which used to serve Kuching in the early part of the 20th century at Jalan Keretapi, which is now known as Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.
The Sarawak Government Railway’s first locomotive ‘Bulan’ operated from 1841 until 1946, but later disappeared during the Japanese occupation.
SOURCE: The Borneo Post
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