After years of waiting, the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) area, including The Exchange TRX mall, the TRX City Park and the TRX Tunnel, will finally be opening on 29th November. But, much like the mall and the park, the TRX Tunnel too is receiving mixed reviews from netizens.
Just yesterday (22nd November), an inspection was carried out on the tunnel by Works Minister Datuk Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi. During said inspection, he mentioned that the tunnel is expected to reduce traffic into the city by 30 percent, yet netizens soon expressed their doubts on the issue.
The five-kilometer TRX tunnel runs underground, linking to a network of 12 major roads and highways, such as Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Maju Expressway (MEX), SMART Tunnel and the Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway (SPE). Comprising of two levels, one for vehicles and the other for utility services, it also has Waze Beacon installed for uninterrupted navigation.
And, with its direct connections to Jalan Tun Razak and the SMART highway, there will be a running loop system which will provide vehicles access to TRX integrated development. Allegedly, this should ensure they will not add to existing traffic volume on the surrounding roads. “They can drive through the tunnel and get directly into the TRX underground parking,” Datuk Sri Alexander explained.
“For a national project of this scale at a prime city location, TRX has carried out a lot of strategic planning to facilitate access for both public transport users as well as private vehicles. It aligns with the government’s commitment to make TRX an international business and social destination,” Datuk Sri Alexander said. He also added that the TRX development “should provide a significant boost to the surrounding local economy“.
While it certainly sounds grand in the long run, netizens have been dubious about its supposed effect on the traffic there. “(We were told) MRT would reduce traffic by 30%. Look at the traffic on the road. And the Load in the train during peak hours. Where do all the cars and human come from????” one lamented. Another pointed out: “After (the) end of the tunnel, (there will be a) jam also, right?”
A netizen scathingly predicted the TRX tunnel would “increase traffic by 60%“, while a few claimed the plan was either a “miracle” or they were “hallucinating” or “dreaming“. One even suggested they “beef up the public transportation” instead. Still, there were a few hopeful ones, who are optimistic the TRX tunnel will have a positive effect on the traffic situation instead.
Well, it certainly seems like there will be a great hullabaloo when the TRX development opens. While we do hope the TRX tunnel will help with the consistent jams we seems to be stuck in, like others, we’ll simply have to reserve judgement until we see it operating.
Sources: The Edge Malaysia, Malay Mail, China Press, Facebook
