A month ago, during Kuching City Day, Sarawak Metro release the aerial view of the 12.3KM 1st Phase of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) Red Line alignment.
This video shows the proposed location of the stations or stops for the KUTS ART Red Line, or better known as Kuching ART Red Line.
This line, which would probably have better ridership compared to the Green Line as it connects major transportation hubs and schools with the line starting at Kuching Sentral and ending in Pending.
Sarawak Metro in their description of the Red Line Alignment video said the line will serve key locations such as Kuching Sentral, Kuching International Airport, Borneo Medical Center, Chung Hua Middle School No. 3 and more.
The line therefore starts at Kuching Sentral Station, which is Kuching’s main bus hub. Based on the video, the station will be built beside Kuching Sentral.
It then goes to the Kuching International Airport with an elevated station planned right in the center of what is currently the public car park.
From then on, the ART route follow Jalan Lapangan Terbang before meeting its second station, Pelita Height, which is located just in front of what is now Premier Food Court at RH Plaza.
The ART then passes Gala City and stops at Tun Jugah Station, which is sandwiched between Emporium and Premier 101 Kuching, and is also located not far from SMK Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor.
From then, the KUTS ART Red line surprised us as it by-passes CityOne Megamall, and proceeds to its next station at the fringes of Swinburne before making a turn into Simpang Tiga Station.
The Simpang Tiga Station will serve as the Red Line and Blue Line interchange station.
From there, the ART goes to the left to Jalan Tun Razak Station which is located not far from Chung Hua Middle School No. 3.
It then goes on straight passing Chung Hua Middle School No. 1, before directly travelling to its Pending Station while by-passing both SK St Andrew and SMK Pending.
I do find it interesting that the KUTS ART Red Line doesn’t have stops at more schools despite the line’s route passing by Chung Hua Middle School No. 1, SMK Pending and SK St Andrew. These three schools could contribute to a surge in usage of the line on a daily basis if they are connected with an ART station.
It is also interesting to note that the line, despite having proximities to popolar commercial areas like Pelita Height, Premier 101, and Emporium, is not connected to one of Kuching’s biggest shopping mall, CityOne Megamall.
Either way, the ART Red Line will certainly benefit those using flights and busses since it is located just adjacent to both Kuching International Airport and Kuching Sentral.
To see the full video of the Red Line Alignment for KUTS, see the video below.
The construction for the Red Line package is ongoing and is targeted for completion by the end of 2026.
To learn more about the ART Red Line project under KUTS, you can go HERE. Alternatively, you can also visit Sarawak Metro’s official site HERE.
