Kuching Urban Transportation System

Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS)
Official logo
Overview
Native name	Sistem Pengangkutan Bandaraya Kuching
Owner	Sarawak Metro - Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC)
Locale	Greater Kuching, Samarahan, Serian and Sri Aman
Transit type	Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit Guided bus Bi-articulated bus
Number of lines	4
Number of stations	35
Website	www.mysarawakmetro.com/kuts
Operation
Operation will start	December 2026;15 months' time (December 2026) [1]
Operator(s)	Sarawak Metro
Number of vehicles	38
Technical
System length	First phase: 69.9 km (43 mi)
Top speed	70 km/h (43 mph)

The Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) is an under-construction Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) system network that serves Greater Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, and Sri Aman. It is the first ART system network to be built outside of China and also the first metro bus system in the state of Sarawak which was touted as one of the methods to ease traffic congestion in the city of Kuching. ^[2] The project is currently constructed by Sarawak Metro using state funds provided by the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS). ^{[2] [3] [4]} The ART lines will connect Kuching to Samarahan and Serian as well as future lines to other parts of Greater Kuching. ^[5]

Initial LRT proposal

The proposed construction of a RM10.8 billion Kuching light rapid transit (LRT) project was expected to commence by 2019 and was scheduled to be operational by 2024. ^[6] It was proposed that the LRT will use hydrogen fuel cell rolling-stock with a travel speed of 70–140km/h. ^[7]

The hydrogen fuel cell trains were in line with the state government's vision to develop a hydrogen economy, as part of its green initiative. Aside from hydrogen-powered trains, Kuching will also be the first city in the country to have hydrogen-powered buses. ^[8]

Planned routes

On 29 March 2018, the Chief Minister of Sarawak released the routes and stations of three of the six lines with 155.2 kilometers of track ^[9] to be completed in 2024, while the remaining three lines to be implemented at a later stage. ^[6] A government-linked company (GLC) called Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd ^[10] had been registered to manage the LRT system. ^[9]

Line	Origin – Destination	Landmark nearby proposed stations	Distance & Stations
1   Samarahan Line	Kota Samarahan to Damai via Sungai Batu,	Rembus, Kota Samarahan, Summer Mall, Aiman Mall, INTAN/SALCRA/UiTM, UNIMAS, Sarawak Heart Centre, La Promenade, Riveria, eMart, PPKS, Wisma Wan, Vivacity, Simpang Tiga, Swinburne, Jalan Tabuan, Jalan Central Timur, Police HQ, Hikmah Exchange, Jalan Hashim Jaafar, Medan Raya, Sarawak Stadium, Hospital Sarawak, Bandar Baru Samariang, Mara, Rampangi, Salak, Sg. Batu, Buntal, Santubong, Damai Central	62.4 km, 25 stations.
2   Serian Line	Serian to Senari via Siburan,	South Depot, Serian, Pasar Baki, Tapah, Beratok, Duranta, Siburan, Seratau, Beverly Park, JPJ, Kota Padawan, Everwin, Penrissen, Kuching Sentral, Kuching International Airport, BDC, Gala City, City One, Simpang Tiga, JPN, The Spring Shopping Mall, Chung Hua Middle School No. 3, Jalan Tun Razak, SMK Pending, Bintawa, Isthmus, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Demak Laut, Demak Laut Convention Centre, Senari Port, Bako, Muara Tebas, Deep Sea Port	82 km, 25 stations.
3   City Dispersal Line	Kuching City	Waterfront, UTC, Jalan Abell, Padungan, Padungan Central, Three Hills Park, Tanah Putih, Pending, Jalan Tun Salahudin, Darul Hana, Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Medan Raya, Jalan Hashim Jaafar, Hikmah Exchange	10.8 km, 13 stations.

Proposed route for the Kuching Urban Transportation System in 2018.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001B-QINU`"'
Blue: Samarahan Line
Red: Serian Line

Samarahan Line (Line 1)

Station Code	Working Name	Position	Local government	Interchange / Notes
SM0	Rembus (Provisional)	At-grade	MPKS	Rembus Depot, near to Kampung Rembus
SM1	Universiti			Near to UNIMAS Pintu Timur, walking distance to The Summer Shopping Mall
SM2	Melaban			Connected with Aiman Mall
SM3	Sigitin			Near to Wisma SALCRA, Walking distance to UiTM Samarahan
SM4	UNIMAS	Elevated
SM5	Heart Centre			Walking distance to Sarawak Heart Centre
SM6	Riveria			Walking distance to La Promenade Mall
SM7	Stutong		MBKS	Near to The NorthBank by IBRACO
SM8	Wan Alwi			Near to Tabuan Jaya Police Complex
SM9	Viva			Connected with Vivacity Megamall
IS1	Simpang Tiga			Near to Wisma Persekutuan Public Carpark, Interchange station with   2   Serian Line
SM11	Jalan Tabuan			Connected with The Spring Shopping Mall
SM12	Jalan Central Timur		DBKU	Near to Kuching Public Works Department
SM13	Jalan Badruddin			Connected with Sarawak General Hospital
SM14	Hikmah Exchange			Near to Padang Pasir, Hikmah Exchange

Serian Line (Line 2)

Station Code	Working Name	Position	Local government	Interchange / Notes
SR1	Batu 12/JPJ	Elevated	MPPadawan	Batu 12 Depot
SR2	Kota Padawan			Near to 10th Mile Bazaar
SR3	Penrissen		MPKS	Near to SMK Wira Penrissen
SR4	Kota Sentosa		MPPadawan	Near to Sentosa Parade
SR5	Kuching Sentral		MBKS	Connected with bus terminal
SR6	Kuching International Airport			Connected to airport terminal
SR7	Pelita Height			Near to RH Plaza
SR8	Tun Jugah			Near to Emporium
SR9				Near to Swinburne University
IS1	Simpang Tiga			Near to Wisma Persekutuan Public Carpark, Interchange station with   1   Samarahan Line
SR10	Jalan Tun Razak			Near to Chung Hua Middle School No.3
SR11	Pending			Near to Puspakom
SR12	Bintawa			Near to Bintawa Industrial Estate
SR13	Isthmus	At-grade	DBKU	Near to Borneo Convention Centre Kuching

Shelving

However, on 1 September 2018, the Chief Minister of Sarawak announced that the project has been placed on hold, citing that the funds allocated to the project will instead be used to build basic amenities for Sarawak's rural areas. ^[11] Eventually, in July 2019, the Chief Minister of Sarawak said that the new LRT project will be built using artificial intelligence (AI) technology which will remove the need for conventional rails and bringing down the cost of the project, ^[12] which culminated into adopting the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system from China.

Current ART proposal

A guided bi-articulated buses at Yibin ART T1 line.

In September 2019, the government of Sarawak ultimately decided to go with China's Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) system than LRT due to its more affordable cost where the state transport minister said it will be ready by 2022. ^{[13] [14]} The Premier of Sarawak, Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg had initially promised to build the first Kuching ART soon to avoid rising costs, ^[15] with Chinese companies offering their expertise to collaborate in the construction. ^[16] In April 2022, Premier Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg disclosed to the Singaporean English daily newspaper, The Straits Times that the ART system will likely consist of 52.6 km of route and is expected to begin construction in the third quarter of the same year, with a projected operational date of 2025. ^[17]

A prototype of the Kuching ART (guided bi-articulated bus powered by hydrogen) undergoing an engineering run.

In August 2023, the state received its first hydrogen-powered ART vehicle prototype and went through an engineering run for two months until September, where it then went through a proof-of-concept testing in November. ^[18] Besides ART vehicles, Sarawak Metro will procure an additional 55 hydrogen buses which will serve as part of the first and last mile connectivity for the system which are still currently in trial operation since January 2020. ^[19]

Planned routes for Phase 1

On 16 December 2022, the Premier of Sarawak released the Phase 1 integrated transit map of the KUTS project with a 69.9-kilometer route consisting of 3 initial rail lines and a total of 31 stations (with 5 provisional stations) to be completed in stages, with Phase 1 of the Blue Line scheduled to be completed in 2025 while the remaining lines are to be constructed at a later date. ^[20] Currently, the Green Line has since increased the number of stations from 10 to 14 stations bringing the total number of stations across the Kuching Urban Transportation System to 35 stations. ^[21] However, only 8 stations are now confirmed to be built while the other 6 are under provisional status.

As of May 2025, the overall progress of Phase 1 of the Kuching Urban Transportation System is now at 29.89% which is slightly behind the planned schedule of 33.86% due to construction delays. This has resulted Phase 1 of the Blue Line to now be projected to open on the fourth quarter of 2026 instead of 2025 as well as the current timeline being delayed to 2028. ^[22]

Line	Origin – Destination	Landmarks of nearby proposed stations	Distance & Stations	To be completed
SM  Blue Line	Kota Samarahan to Hikmah Exchange	Rembus, Summer Mall, Aiman Mall, UiTM, SALCRA, Unimas, Sarawak Heart Centre, Riveria, La Promenade Shopping Mall, Stutong, Emart Matang, Wisma Wan, Vivacity Megamall, JPN Kuching, The Spring, Simpang Tiga, Swinburne Sarawak University, Batu Lintang, Kuching Paragon, Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching City Mosque, Hikmah Exchange	27.6 km, 14 stations.	Phase 1: 31 December 2026 Phase 1A: TBD 2027 Phase 2: TBD 2027
SR  Red Line	Kuching Sentral to Pending	Kuching Sentral, Kuching International Airport, Pelita Height, RH Plaza, GalaCity, CityOne Simpang Tiga, JPN Kuching, Jalan Tun Razak, Pending	12.3 km, 8 stations.	TBD 2027
DM  Green Line	Pending to Damai Sentral	Pending, Bintawa, Darul Hana, Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Menara Pelita, Stadium Sarawak, Yayasan Sarawak, Bandar Baru Samariang, Sungai Batu, Santubong, Damai Sentral	30 km, 14 stations.	TBD 2028
Bold text denotes that the particular landmark is near the area proposed to be a train depot station.

Blue Line alignment

The Blue Line is expected to begin revenue service for Phase 1 on 31 December 2026 starting from the Rembus station until the Riveria station. This initial phase will allow Samarahan residents as well as students from UNIMAS and UiTM to travel seamlessly from their respective places to around the Samarahan area without needing to drive. Phase 1A of the Blue Line, which will be open for revenue service sometime later after Phase 1, will solely introduce the opening of the new Sungai Kuap bridge as well as the Stutong station, finally connecting the Blue Line to the other side of the river. Finally, Phase 2 of the Blue Line, which will begin revenue service on an unspecified date in 2027 due to construction delays, will continue along Wan Alwi and various popular and congested routes in Kuching before finally terminating at Hikmah Exchange station in downtown Kuching. ^[23]

Station Code	Working Name	Station Layout	Local government	Notes / Interchange
Blue Line Phase 1(31 December 2026)
SM00P	Rembus	At-grade	MPKS	Northern terminus. Provisional station. Rembus Depot, near to Kampung Rembus, SK (A) Ibnu Khaldun
SM01	Universiti			Near to Taman Desa Ilmu, walking distance to Pintu Timur UNIMAS, The Summer Shopping Mall
SM02	Melaban			Connected with Aiman Mall
SM03	Sigitin			Connected with Wisma SALCRA, walking distance to INTAN
SM04	UNIMAS			Connected with UNIMAS Main Gate, walking distance to Everwin Centre
SM05	Sarawak Heart Centre			Walking distance to Sarawak Heart Centre, Eden-on-the-Park, Samarahan Country Club, future Interchange station with a future line
SM06	Riveria			Connected with La Promenade Mall
Blue Line Phase 1A(TBD 2027)
SM07	Stutong	At-grade	MBKS	Connected with The Northbank, walking distance to Avona Residence, Tunku Putra - HELP International School
Blue Line Phase 2(TBD 2027)
SM08	Wan Alwi	Elevated	MBKS	Walking distance to Lodge International School, connected to Tabuan Jaya Police Housing Complex
SM09	Vivacity Mall			Connected with Vivacity Megamall, walking distance to Milan Square
SM10	Simpang Tiga			Walking distance to Wisma Persekutuan, Kenyalang Park Post Office, Interchange station with the  SR10  Red Line
SM11	The Spring			Connected with The Spring Shopping Mall, ST3 Shopping Mall, Citadines Uplands Hotel, walking distance to Masjid Darul Ittihaad Kenyalang Park
SM12	Batu Lintang		DBKU	Walking distance to Kuching Public Works Department, Batu Lintang Food Court, Wisma Saberkas
SM13	Sarawak General Hospital			Connected with Sarawak General Hospital, walking distance to SMK Green Road, future Interchange station with the  YL  Yellow Line
SM14	Hikmah Exchange			Northern terminus. Connected with Hikmah Exchange, walking distance to Padang Pasir, Kuching City Mosque, Wisma Hopoh, future Interchange station with a future line

Red Line alignment

The Red Line is expected to begin revenue service on an unspecified date sometime in 2027. It is currently unknown whether this line will open simultaneously with Phase 2 of the Blue Line. This line will only have 8 stations at first but is expected to expand in the near future, with potential expansions to Serian and the Kuching Deep Sea Port. It is also expected to be connected with the bus terminal as well as the Kuching International Airport, which will play an important role in providing easy transportation for those leaving or coming from either one of these terminals. ^[24]

Station Code	Working Name	Station Layout	Local government	Notes / Interchange
SR05	Kuching Sentral	Elevated	MBKS	Connected with bus terminal, walking distance to Farley Shopping Mall, future Interchange station with a future line
SR06	Kuching International Airport			Connected with airport terminal
SR07	Pelita Height			Connected with RH Plaza
SR08	Tun Jugah			Connected with Emporium, Premier 101 Plaza
SR09	Swinburne			Connected with Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, walking distance to KWSP Kuching
SR10	Simpang Tiga			Walking distance to Wisma Persekutuan, Kenyalang Park Post Office, Interchange station with the  SM10  Blue Line
SR11	Jalan Tun Razak			Near to Chung Hua Middle School No.3
SR12	Pending	At-grade		Near to Pending Industrial Estate, Interchange station with the  DM01  Green Line

Green Line alignment

The Green Line is expected to begin revenue service on an unspecified date in 2028 due to construction delays, with eight confirmed stations and six provisional stations being built at a later date in order to complement future developments which brings a total number of fourteen stations. All stations on this route are expected to be at-grade, however, there is a small section from Santubong station and the Damai Golf Course station which will be elevated due to the inconsistent terrain of the area. ^[25]

Station Code	Working Name	Station Layout	Local government	Notes / Interchange
DM01	Pending	At-grade	MBKS	Southern terminus. Near to Pending Industrial Estate, Interchange station with the  SR12  Red Line
DM02P	Darul Hana		DBKU	Provisional station. Near to Masjid Darul Hana, Darul Hana Housing Complex
DM03	Wisma Bapa Malaysia			Halt station. Walking distance to Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Old Sarawak State Legislative Assembly
DM04P	Menara Pelita			Provisional station. Walking distance to Pelita Tower, Kompleks Satria Pertiwi
DM05	Stadium			Connected with the Sarawak Sports Complex
DM05AP	Waterfront			Provisional station.
DM06P	Yayasan Sarawak			Provisional station. Near to Yayasan Sarawak, MARDI, future Interchange station with a future line
DM07	Bandar Baru Samariang			Halt station. Connected with Bandar Baru Samariang Commercial Centre
DM07AP	Pasir Panjang			Provisional station. Near to Department of Agriculture Research Station Rampangi, Mutiara Damai Housing Complex
DM08	Sungai Batu			Halt station. Sungai Batu Depot. Near to Sungai Bedaun Housing Complex
DM08AP	Cove 55			Provisional station. Connected with Cove 55 Hotel
DM09	Santubong			Halt station. Near to Kampung Santubong
DM09A	Damai Golf Course			Halt station. Near to Damai Golf & Country Club, Santubong National Park
DM10	Damai Sentral			Northern terminus. Halt station. Connected with Sarawak Cultural Village, walking distance to Damai Beach, Damai Lagoon Resort

Planned routes for Phase 2

While not currently under construction, the Sarawak Deputy Premier Dr. Sim Kui Hian announced the planned expansion of the KUTS project for Phase 2 starting with the Yellow Line, which runs from Moyan to an interchange station with the Blue Line at Sarawak General Hospital station. ^[26] An extension of the route to Bau has been planned out in advance but will only take fruition once Phase 2 undergoes construction. The remaining routes for Phase 2 are to be announced at a later date.

Line	Origin – Destination	Landmarks of nearby proposed stations	Distance & Stations	To be completed
YL  Yellow Line	Moyan to Sarawak General Hospital	Emart Moyan, Batu Kawa Riverbank Park, Desa Wira, Emart Batu Kawa, MJC, Pines Square, Dogan, Batu Tiga, Sunny Hill, Sarawak General Hospital	TBA.	TBA

See also

• Klang Valley Integrated Transit System
• Bi-articulated bus
• Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit
• Sarawak Railway Line
• Kota Kinabalu Line

References

1. "Sarawak Metro speeds up rail contract awards".
2. Samuel Aubrey (19 March 2017). "CM: Kuching – Serian LRT under study". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
3. "Sarawak unveils plan for public transport link from Kuching to Serian". Borneo Bulletin. 19 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
4. vernonchancom (31 March 2018). "Kuching LRT ready by 2024, will use hydrogen fuel cell trains". VERNONCHAN.COM. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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15. Sharon Ling (29 April 2017). "Kuching to have LRT – 'We don't want to be like KL'". The Star. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
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17. Julia Chan (29 April 2022). "Report: Sarawak premier defends Kuching LRT project as key economic building block". Malay Mail. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
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21. "Sarawak Metro: First phase of Kuching Urban Transportation System to be operational by end-2027". Malay Mail. 16 May 2024.
22. Ling, Sharon (20 May 2025). "Phase 1 of Kuching Urban Transportation System project almost 30% complete, says state govt". The Star (Malaysia) . Retrieved 20 May 2025.
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26. Louis, Shikin; Bishop, Chris (28 October 2024). "Planned ART expansion to Batu Kawa to be designated as Yellow Line". DayakDaily. Retrieved 21 May 2025.