Kuching’s first KUTS ART station takes shape in Stutong as project gears for 2026 final quarter completion

The construction progress of Kuching’s massive Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) project under the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) is in full gear in Kuching this time around.

For those landing at Kuching International Airport, and making their way into the heart of the city, it is hard to miss the fact that Kuching is now a huge construction site with so many road diversions, construction sites and road barriers seen along the 30 minute drive to the city.

Along the way, massive pillars as well as beams are slowly taking shape, with the ART lane, integral to the success of KUTS, coming up fast to meet the 2026 deadline, with proposed ART stations slowly taking shape at designated locations.

One of the first stations which now resembles what was previously only seen as ‘artist’s impression’ is the Stutong KUTS ART Station (code name SM07) at Northbank. This station is the first that I noted had its steel frame for the pedestrian crossing installed.

The station, which is located on the Blue Line, is estimated to be at least 40 percent complete, with the shape already giving passersby an early indication of how massive these ART transit stations would become ones its completed.

If you can’t imagine the size of such a station, a photo below, shared by Sarawak Metro, would give you an idea of scale and innitial shape of the stations.

As you can see, the station is at-grade, making it one of the simpler stations to build if compared to the ones within Kuching City itself which are going to be elevated.

Elevated KUTS ART stations are not only trickier to complete, but also require tall and big pillars to sustain its size and weight.

Judging from the the looks at KUTS ART contruction sites within Kuching and Samarahan, it does seem that all at-grade stations in Samarahan, as well and elevated stations from Rembus to Simpang Tiga, which includes the Kuching International Airport station, would be among the first few stations to be completed.

Officially, Sarawak Metro also noted that progress on the central Simpang Tiga Interchange Station, as well as the Rembus Depot, both part of the Blue Line, are also going as planned with photos shared both on thier website and social media showing the latest October updates on site.

The KUTS ART Blue Line is expected to finish construction by the end of 2026, with Sarawak Metro noting that they expect to meet the target of starting the ART passenger service by the same quarter.

For the latest updates on the KUTS ART, go to Sarawak Metro’s Facebook page.

News and image source: Sarawak Metro FB, Sarawak Metro Website