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East Malaysia will have its first rapid transit system if this comes to fruition. The Star reports that the Sabah government will study a proposal to start a rapid transit system in state capital Kota Kinabalu.

UPDATE: PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in his Budget 2016 presentation, announced a RM1 billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line for Kota Kinabalu. Looks like it will be buses instead of trains. BRT made its debut in the Sunway/Subang area this year, and there will be another line connecting KL to Klang.

Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the idea needed to be discussed further before it could be adopted. He said the rapid transit system might be one of the feasible ways to reduce traffic congestion and make the city a more liveable one.

“We must also look at the funds from the state and central government before we can implement a new, modern and convenient public transport,” he said in his speech at the opening of the “Public Transport Planning Towards Liveable Cities in Sabah” conference in KK yesterday.

Musa said he understood the plight of the people in facing traffic congestion, and that the state was doing its best to find solutions to the problem. He added that the current economic situation was difficult and that proper planning was needed to improve the transport system in the state.

Private developers must take into account the transport system, traffic flow and the overall community of the area where a project is being planned, the CM said.

“We know there are some developers who get impatient or angry at the government or relevant departments when they don’t get their development plan approved as soon as they want. But there are other things to take into account when approving a project, especially now that the city is getting more congested,” he added.