The Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) is an under-construction Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system network that serves Greater Kuching, Samarahan, and Serian. It is the first metro bus system in the state of Sarawak which was touted as one of the methods to ease traffic congestion in the city of Kuching. The project is currently constructed by Sarawak Metro using state funds provided by the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS). The ART lines will connect Kuching to Samarahan and Serian as well as future lines to other parts of Greater Kuching.
Former LRT proposal The proposed construction of a RM10.8 billion Kuching light rapid transit (LRT) project was expected to commence by 2019 and was scheduled to be operational by 2024. It was proposed that the LRT will use hydrogen fuel cell rolling-stock with a travel speed of 70–140km/h.
The hydrogen fuel cell trains were in line with the state government's vision to develop a hydrogen economy, as part of its green initiative. Aside from hydrogen-powered trains, Kuching will also be the first city in the country to have hydrogen-powered buses.
Planned routes On 29 March 2018, the Chief Minister of Sarawak released the routes and stations of three of the six lines with 155.2 kilometres of track to be completed in 2024, while the remaining three lines to be implemented at a later stage. A government-linked company (GLC) called Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd had been registered to manage the LRT system.
LineOrigin – DestinationLandmark nearby proposed stationsDistance & Stations Samarahan LineKota Samarahan to Damai via Sungai Batu, Rembus, Kota Samarahan, Summer Mall, Aiman Mall, INTAN/SALCRA/UiTM, UNIMAS, Sarawak Heart Centre, La Promenade, Riveria, eMart, PPKS, Wisma Wan, Vivacity, Simpang Tiga, Swinburne, Jalan Tabuan, Jalan Central Timur, Police HQ, Hikmah Exchange, Jalan Hashim Jaafar, Medan Raya, Sarawak Stadium, Hospital Sarawak, Bandar Baru Samariang, Mara, Rampangi, Salak, Sg. Batu, Buntal, Santubong, Damai Central62.4 km, 25 stations. Serian LineSerian to Senari via Siburan,South Depot, Serian, Pasar Baki, Tapah, Beratok, Duranta, Siburan, Seratau, Beverly Park, JPJ, Kota Padawan, Everwin, Penrissen, Kuching Sentral, Kuching International Airport, BDC, Gala City, City One, Simpang Tiga, JPN, The Spring Shopping Mall, Chung Hua Middle School No. 3, Jalan Tun Razak, SMK Pending, Bintawa, Isthmus, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Demak Laut, Demak Laut Convention Centre, Senari Port, Bako, Muara Tebas, Deep Sea Port82 km, 25 stations. City Dispersal LineKuching CityWaterfront, UTC, Jalan Abell, Padungan, Padungan Central, Three Hills Park, Tanah Putih, Pending, Jalan Tun Salahudin, Darul Hana, Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Medan Raya, Jalan Hashim Jaafar, Hikmah Exchange10.8 km, 13 stations.
Samarahan Line (Line 1) Station Code Working NamePositionLocalgovernment Interchange / NotesRembus (Provisional)At-gradeMPKS Rembus Depot, near to Kampung RembusUniversiti Near to UNIMAS Pintu Timur, walking distance to The Summer Shopping MallMelabanConnected with Aiman MallSigitin Near to Wisma SALCRA, Walking distance to UiTM SamarahanUNIMASElevatedHeart CentreWalking distance to Sarawak Heart CentreRiveriaWalking distance to La Promenade MallStutongMBKSNear to The NorthBank by IBRACOWan AlwiNear to Tabuan Jaya Police ComplexVivaConnected with Vivacity MegamallSimpang Tiga Near to Wisma Persekutuan Public Carpark, Interchange station with Serian LineJalan TabuanConnected with The Spring Shopping MallJalan Central TimurDBKUNear to Kuching Public Works DepartmentJalan BadruddinConnected with Sarawak General HospitalHikmah Exchange Near to Padang Pasir, Hikmah Exchange
Serian Line (Line 2) Station Code Working NamePositionLocalgovernment Interchange / NotesBatu 12/JPJElevatedMPPadawan Batu 12 DepotKota PadawanNear to 10th Mile BazaarPenrissenMPKSNear to SMK Wira PenrissenKota SentosaMPPadawanNear to Sentosa ParadeKuching SentralMBKSConnected with bus terminalKuching International Airport Connected to airport terminalPelita HeightNear to RH PlazaTun JugahNear to EmporiumNear to Swinburne UniversitySimpang Tiga Near to Wisma Persekutuan Public Carpark, Interchange station with Samarahan LineJalan Tun RazakNear to Chung Hua Middle School No.3PendingNear to PuspakomBintawaNear to Bintawa Industrial EstateIsthmusAt-gradeDBKUNear to Borneo Convention Centre Kuching
Shelving However, on 1 September 2018, the Chief Minister of Sarawak announced that the project has been placed on hold, citing that the funds allocated to the project will instead be used to build basic amenities for Sarawak's rural areas. Eventually, in July 2019, the Chief Minister of Sarawak said that the new LRT project will be built using artificial intelligence (AI) technology which will remove the need for conventional rails and bringing down the cost of the project, which culminated into adopting the Autonomous Rapid Transit system from China.
Current ART system
In September 2019, the Government of Sarawak ultimately decided to go with China's Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system than LRT due to its more affordable cost where the Minister of Transport for Sarawak, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said it will be ready by 2022. The Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Abang Openg had initially promised to build the first Kuching ART soon to avoid rising costs, with Chinese companies offering their expertise to collaborate in the construction. In April 2022, the Premier disclosed to the Singaporean English daily newspaper, The Straits Times that the ART system will likely consist of 52.6 km of route and is expected to begin construction in the third quarter of the same year, with a projected operational date of 2025. In August 2023, the state received its first hydrogen-powered ART vehicle prototype and went through an engineering run for two months until September, where it then went through a proof-of-concept testing in November. Besides ART vehicles, Sarawak Metro will procure an additional 55 hydrogen buses which will serve as part of the first and last mile connectivity for the system which are still currently in trial operation since January 2020.
ART routes for Phase 1 On 16 December 2022, the Premier of Sarawak released the Phase 1 integrated transit map of the KUTS project with a 69.9-kilometre route consisting of 3 initial lines and a total of 31 stations (with 5 provisional stations) to be completed in stages, with Phase 1 of the Blue Line scheduled to be completed in 2025 while the remaining lines are to be constructed at a later date. Previously, the Green Line had increased the number of stations from 10 to 14 stations bringing the total number of stations across the Kuching Urban Transportation System to 35 stations. Since then however, only 4 stations are now confirmed to be built while all the other 10 are either under provisional status or will be built in future phases which currently brings the Green Line down to a total distance of 10.5-kilometres for its route which shortens the entire system route down to 59.4-kilometres.
As of December 2025, the overall progress of Phase 1 of the project now stands at 35% which is still slightly behind the planned timeline due to continued construction delays. This has resulted Phase 1 of the Blue Line to now be projected to open on the fourth quarter of 2026 instead of 2025 as well as the current timeline being delayed to 2028. Nonetheless, the system will begin pilot operations for both the ART vehicles and the accompanying hydrogen-powered feeder buses by the end of 2026.
On 1 August 2026, Sarawak Metro had officiated one of its stations on the Blue Line, namely The Northbank IBRACO ART station, which was formerly designated the working name of Stutong, under a naming rights agreement which was overseen by both Sarawak Metro and IBRACO Berhad. This marks the first station in the entire network to be sponsored by a company. At the same time, two units of ART vehicles had arrived from China which will noticeably usher the project into its pilot operations sometime later at the end of the year.
LineOrigin – DestinationLandmarks of nearby proposed stationsDistance & StationsTo be completed Blue LineRembus to Hikmah Exchange Rembus, Summer Mall, Aiman Mall, UiTM, SALCRA, Unimas, Sarawak Heart Centre, Riveria, La Promenade Shopping Mall, Stutong, Emart Tabuan Jaya, Wisma Wan, Vivacity Megamall, JPN Kuching, The Spring, Simpang Tiga, Swinburne Sarawak University, Batu Lintang, Kuching Paragon, Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching City Mosque, Hikmah Exchange27.6 km, 15 stations.Phase 1:31 December 2026 Phase 2:TBD 2027 Red LineKuching Sentral to PendingKuching Sentral, Kuching International Airport, Pelita Height, RH Plaza, GalaCity, CityOne Simpang Tiga, JPN Kuching, Jalan Tun Razak, Pending12.3 km, 8 stations.TBD 2027 Green LinePending to Yayasan SarawakPending, Bintawa, Darul Hana, Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Menara Pelita, Stadium Sarawak, Yayasan Sarawak10.5 km, 4 stations.TBD 2028Bold text denotes that the particular landmark is near the area designated to be an ART depot station.
Blue Line alignment The Blue Line is expected to begin revenue service for Phase 1 by 31 December 2026 starting from the Rembus station until the Riveria station. Prior to this however, it will undergo a pilot operation trial around the end of 2026 to ensure smooth operating procedures for the rest of the line. This initial phase will allow Samarahan residents as well as students from UNIMAS and UiTM to travel seamlessly from their respective places around the Samarahan area, continuing along the newly built Sungai Kuap bridge solely meant for ART vehicles to The Northbank IBRACO station (formerly known as Stutong) without needing to drive. Meanwhile, Phase 2 of the Blue Line, which will begin full revenue service on an unspecified date in 2027 due to construction delays, will continue on an elevated route from Wan Alwi, Vivacity Mall, The Spring and various congested routes in Kuching before finally terminating at Hikmah Exchange station in downtown Kuching. All Phase 1 stations located in Kota Samarahan as well as Stutong will be at-grade while Phase 2 will focus more on the elevated section of the route. Station codeStation name Working NameOpeningPlatform typePositionLocalgovernment Notes / InterchangeBlue Line Phase 1 (by 31 December 2026)TBARembus -Terminus (Island)At-gradeMPKS Future southern terminus. Provisional station. Rembus Depot, near to Kampung Rembus, SK (A) Ibnu KhaldunUniversitiQ4 2026Island Current southern terminus. Exit to Uptown Samarahan, Taman Desa Ilmu, Pintu Timur UNIMAS, Kolej Kenanga, walking distance to The Summer Shopping MallMelabanExit to Aiman Mall, Melaban Commercial Centre, Jalan i-MAS VillageSigitin Exit to Wisma SALCRA, Uni Alam Commercial Centre, walking distance to INTAN SarawakUNIMASExit to UNIMAS Main Gate, Uni Square Commercial Centre, walking distance to Everwin Centre, Hospital Pengajar UNIMASSarawak Heart CentreExit to Central City, Eden-on-the-Park Nursing Care Residence, walking distance to Sarawak Heart Centre, Samarahan Country Club, future Interchange station with a future lineRiveriaExit to La Promenade Mall, Jalan Tiya Vista, walking distance to Riveria SquareThe Northbank IBRACOStutongMBKSConnected with Northbank Business Exchange (NBX), Regency Specialist Hospital Kuching, walking distance to Avona Residence, Tunku Putra - HELP International School