This is going to be a multi-post serial thriller with regards to the Sungai Buloh - Kajang MRT. I have done some in-depth study of the alignment, and I thought I want to share some of it with you all. =)
The STATIONS
Sungai Buloh
It starts here. This is somewhat very near to the KTM station; hopefully it'll be integrated together with the KTM station then. I believe the residents of Damansara Damai would utilize the MRT a lot, after this township seems to be the largest within its immediate vicinity. It'll be interesting to see how MKLand makes good of the MRT for its Damai developments.
Kg Baru Sungai Buloh
For those who are not so sure where this is, this is where I had the poon choi last week. I'm not sure how the Kg Baru Sg Buloh titles are, whether it is subdivided properly already or not - but by the looks of things, perhaps there could be some sort of redevelopment in this area.
RRI
Major piece of landbank - now to be developed by EPF/MRCB. Too early to see investment returns right now, but I'll be looking forward to see how the area is planned out.
Kota Damansara
This one seems to be for the south side of the RRI rather than Kota Damansara.
Taman Industri Sg Buloh
The industrial lots + built-ups are going for about RM400psf around this area. With the MRT coming along, it will be easier for these factories to attract workers/staffs - hence gives added value to their properties. Property prices should go upwards by at least 20-30% upon completion of the MRT.
PJU 5
This station seems to be very close to Seri Utama Damansara as well as the Taman Sains Selangor. A major beneficiary would be SEGI University College as well as Sri KDU International School. Okay - maybe not so much for Sri KDU - but definitely a plus point for SEGI.
Dataran Sunway
This station is right on the fringe of the Dataran Sunway/Kota Damansara area - especially GIZA Sunway. However, most of the land here have been developed already; and buildings are rather new - low chance of redevelopment. But prices, especially rentals should go up quite a bit. Tune Hotels to benefit a lot from this. I would think that TUNE Hotels would benefit from this tremendously as most of its customers/tenants are the no-frills users - hence they'll probably be MRT commuters.
The CURVE
Perfect for the shoppers at The Curve; it would be interesting to see how the feeder bus routes are for this location. Mutiara Damansara land and residential properties would appreciate a lot. I believe the retail rental rates at The Curve / Ikano would increase substantially as well. The Mutiara Damansara commercial land plots are already selling at all time highs - having the MRT there would still push it higher by another 15-20%. =)
One UTAMA
Another direct beneficiary station - the one being One Utama. Some people have come up and complained of the station's location - especially those from TTDI. I believe this MRT would benefit One Utama's rental rates a lot, and also its surrounding residential rentals. But the key factor here is this... the MRT would be able to reduce traffic congestion in this area. Every weekend, I see a massive amount of jam here, all going into One Utama. Perhaps with the MRT we would see smoother roads. I think the MRT would also pave way for a further extension to One Utama perhaps(?) - the golf driving range plus open air car park outside the New Wing now just seem like the perfect place to add on a Phase 3 of One Utama.
TTDI
The location of this station seems to me, to be next to the BOMBA / Sinaran TTDI condominiums. I would rather have the station closer to the Pasar Besar area. I dont see why the residents are complaining as this should somehow ease the congestion in the area too.
Section 17
This station would need another look at; based on the indicative location, I dont see many people using this station, as there are not many residences near it. With its location right next to the SPRINT highway, the location of this station might even pose a danger to its users.
Section 16
Assuming they build a proper pedestrian bridge and all around it, then the location of this station would directly benefit the tenants of Phileo Damansara I and II, as well as the CP Tower. I believe the room rates for Eastin Hotel would go upwards too due to its convenience.
Pusat Bandar Damansara
This station would benefit all those who are working at Pusat Bandar Damansara and Menara Milennium. On top of that, the students at HELP University College would benefit too. But the main beneficiary would be Damansara City 2 - which is the next flagship development by Guocoland. =)
Semantan
Another station that benefits HELP University College students. On top of that, I believe the rental prices at Menara HP and its surrounding office towers should pick up a lot, and would be hitting the RM8-9psf/month rates soon.
KL Sentral / Pasar Seni
Both are already home to existing LRT/monorail lines. KL Sentral - already a transport hub, stands to become a super transport hub with over 10 different modes of transportation in its station.
Merdeka
This station cuts through the Warisan Merdeka developments, comprising the controversial 100 storey skyscraper tower. A project of this massive size requires good connectivity links - and the MRT just adds on to this.
Bukit Bintang Barat
I'm interested to see how the line goes underground (maybe?) for this stretch. The surroundings to benefit directly includes the room rates at Royale Bintang / Federal Hotel - and then this would also indirectly benefit the Pudu Jail redevelopment with its close vicinity. Berjaya Times Square would also indirectly benefit.
Bukit Bintang Timur
I cant really tell where this station is located exactly - but by the looks of things, the station would be quite close to Pavilion / Fahrenheit 88 / Starhill intersection. Seems like the ideal place to put up a station to benefit the shoppers. Major beneficiaries are the Malton Group (who somehow/someway owns Pavilion and Fahrenheit 88 directly and indirectly) and the YTL Group (Starhill / J W Marriott / Ritz Carlton / Lot 10).
Pasar Rakyat
Some still call it Pasar Rakyat - but yes it is still Pasar Rakyat until it is being redeveloped into the KL International Financial District. For this site, I think it would require more than just 1 MRT station to ease the congestion in this area. I think the rental rates in the local buildings here would pick up too - I see a good upside for buildings like Wisma Technip etc.
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Anyways, this is Part 1. Lets see how much time I have to write out the other parts LOL.
