KUCHING: Sarawak’s much-anticipated Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) smart tram, which has been named Bulan, has taken its first journey on a city street here.

A video of the triple-carriage hydrogen-powered tram on the road was shared on Facebook page, Sarawakku, which is run by the Premier’s Office, late last night. The Borneo Post has received a longer version of the video.

According to the caption of the post, the vehicle was headed for the stabling yard at Pending Port from Senari Terminal, a distance of more than 10km.

Spectators off camera on the side of the road could be heard cheering as the tram passed them.

State Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin announced yesterday that the smart tram will undergo an engineering run from Sept 4 until Oct 31 on a loop on Jalan Keruing passing Menara LCDA, Menara SEDC, Menara Sarawak Energy and the Borneo Convention Centre.

“The engineering run is to identify any potential issues before the start of the proof-of-concept exercise in Samarahan,” he said.

He said the tram had been fully assembled at the Senari Terminal where it had arrived from China on Aug 5.

The project comes under Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).

The smart tram was developed by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co Ltd.

According to CRRC, the smart tram is the first to adopt a hydrogen energy power system, which has the advantages of longer driving range and shorter refuelling time, as well as energy saving and environmental protection.

It can travel up to 245km in a single charge of hydrogen.

The cost of the whole project, which covers Kuching, Samarahan and Serian, is RM6 billion.

Abang Johari, on July 28, named the tram ‘Bulan’ after Sarawak’s first locomotive which operated from 1841 until 1946, and later disappeared during the Japanese occupation.