LOOKING at the traffic congestion in areas such as Kuala Lumpur, the Federal Highway, Subang Jaya, Puchong, Bandar Sunway and USJ, especially during peak hours, it is difficult to imagine a developed Malaysia unless the existing urban public transport system is further improved.

The good news is measures are being carried out to give Malaysia a world-class urban public transport network even before 2020, when the country is set to become a developed nation with a high-income society.

Of the many initiatives, the light rail transit (LRT) line extension project (LEP)tops the list.

The LEP is a crucial project by the government to improve urban public transport in the Klang Valley.

It is an initiative to address the worsening traffic congestion.

It is hard to imagine that cities and towns in the Klang Valley are a reflection of a modern and developed nation when the roads and highways are being clogged by vehicles.

The LEP, being developed by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana), will not just bring the façade of a developed nation to Malaysia but will also create higher productivity and a healthier lifestyle for Malaysians.

These will help the country generate sustainable growth annually, transforming its status from a developing country to a developed nation.

No doubt, such a development will have a price tag to it. Even with the deployment of the best strategies to build an urban public transport system, there will always be discomforts while the system is being constructed.

Measures are being undertaken by Prasarana to ensure that the discomforts are minimised or removed as soon as possible.

Under the LEP, the existing LRT lines will be extended by a total of 34.7km so that more commuters, particularly those residing in the Klang Valley, could benefit from the system.

The Ampang Line will be extended by another 17.7km, starting from Sri Petaling and passing through Puchong before ending at an integrated hub in Putra Heights.

It will be serviced by 11 new stations, with two being reserved for future expansion.

The Kelana Jaya Line, meanwhile, will be stretched 17km further, starting from Lembah Subang and going through Subang Jaya, USJ and meeting the Ampang Line at the integrated station in Putra Heights.

The extension line will be serviced by 12 new stations with international-standard facilities.

The LEP is expected to be ready in stages, starting from March 2015.

Apart from the LRT system, a bus rapid transit (BRT) system will also join the urban public network the same year.

The project is being carried out jointly by Prasarana and Sunway Bhd. It is the first urban public transport project undertaken via the public-private partnership initiative.

The proposed system will be known as the BRT–Sunway Line.

It will start from Halt 1, which will be connected to the KTM Komuter Setia Jaya station. It will pass through several strategic locations in Bandar Sunway and Subang Jaya before ending at Halt 7, which will be linked to Station 7 of the extended Kelana Jaya Line.

The completion of the extended Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line as well as the BRT–Sunway Line will reduce the number of cars plying the roads and highways in the Klang Valley.

The effiency of the system should therefore encourage the public to leave their cars at home and commute via the three lines for their inter-city journey. This will the number of cars on the road, thus lessening traffic congestion.

Malaysia will then have a modern urban public transport system that is efficient with world-class services.

A developed Malaysia by 2020 will also then have its population enjoying a healthier lifestyle and a higher income.