The upcoming Sungai Buloh - Kajang MRT line’s routes has been finalized and of my particular interest is the proposed Bandar Utama (BU) station as it would be the closest to where i live and be the one that poses the biggest impact on me. I can just imagine the traffic jams that are gonna take place for the duration of the construction of the line and station but i feel even more sorry for the ppl who have to drive along Persiaran Surian which will most likely turn into a mad house, but that my friends is for another time. Got the below map off the NST’s website for after much contemplation of using the official map from the Klang Valley MRT (KVMRT) website but it horrendous fluorescent colours were a definite turn-off. Anyway do have a look at the map below and if you would like more “official” information, KVMRT’s website is available at http://kvmrt.com.my.
It’s fantastic to have a MRT station close by to the BU & TTDI and while some properties in the area will be impacted by the project if it runs close by, etc… the project would have a greater impact on the value of properties close, but not too close for comfort, with the proposed station. But seriously… WTF are the planners thinking when they decided on the BU station. Just take a look at the image pulled off Tony Phua’s blog and must admit at least this guy’s got a fair point. The corner of Bandar Utama just outside MediaPrima’s office doesn’t exactly seem like the best place to put the MRT station.
The better area indicated on the map could help elevate the issue of traffic congestion if the access to the station is through the One Utama shopping complexes open air car park. Makes more sense to having available parking close by for ppl who want to park their cars and hop on the train and get whereever it is they need to get to. And it’s a bonus for One Utama as well as their open air carpark can be filled daily.
However i seriously doubt that moving the station to the proposed better location would help elevate the issue of traffic much as the traffic issue would now be moved from the LDP to the inner roads leading to the station. Heck, who ever said progress didn’t come with a price-tag attached.
But on the brighter side of things, the value of property in the surrounding areas is bound to increase further once the MRT is completed. All in all, i’m just happy that there is a station which i can use on the weekends close by without having to live too close to the tracks. What the impact of the MRT project will be on the value of areas like BU and TTDI cannot be confirmed, but heck you would have to be blind to not see that properties close to these proposed MRT stations are ripe for the picking (as long as it doesn’t face the line or station just across the road, otherwise you’re screwed) for potential future capital gains or potential rentail income.
FOR MORE SOURCES OF INFORMATION, JUST CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS.
http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/MRTimplementedaftercarefulconsideration_PM/Article
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/03/11/massive-congestion-fears-over-mrt/
http://tonypua.blogspot.com/2011/03/mrt-failed-integration-test.html
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/3/12/central/8238795&sec=central
