The public will be able to take a ride on an Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) vehicle for free in Putrajaya during the upcoming Federal Territory Day weekend. Held in conjunction with Putrajaya Open Day, the free ride session will also mark the official start of the ART pilot project in the city.
Putrajaya ART pilot project to last until the end of 2024
The existence of both the pilot project and free ride session was revealed by Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPJ) through its Facebook and Instagram pages. Members of the public will be able to test out the ART trackless tram from 1 to 4 February 2024.
While the initial free ride will only take place for 4 days, the pilot testing will last until December 2024. Beyond these two details, PPJ didn’t provide any other information regarding the project such as the tram’s route and technical specifications.
PPJ did attach two images with the announcement which depicted the ART tram although it is unclear whether it will be the actual unit that will be trialled at the city. In fact, both images featured the tram that was used during the ART trial in Iskandar Malaysia at Johor a few years ago.
ART has been deployed in Malaysia before
As noted above, the upcoming public trial session in Putrajaya is not the first time that an ART tram has been deployed in Malaysia. Aside from the trial in Johor, ART has also been chosen as the foundation of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project in Sarawak.
Sarawak Metro has recently completed the proof-of-concept trials in Kuching using a prototype ART vehicle. The actual operation of the hydrogen-powered KUTS ART fleet is scheduled to begin sometime in Q4 2025.
