We’re now in mid-July, which means that you have half a month more to try out the new LRT3 Shah Alam Line for free if you haven’t already went on a jalan-jalan cari makan trip. Launched on June 28 by prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Klang Valley’s third LRT line opened to the public on June 29. Rides are free till July 31.
You’ve read our launch report, now join us for a full end-to-end tour of the LRT3 Shah Alam Line, which has an east-west orientation connecting Klang, Shah Alam, Subang and Petaling Jaya. This alone makes it unique, as the typical train line is from the outskirts into Kuala Lumpur city centre.
The RM16.63 billion line is 37.8-km long, running from Johan Setia in Klang to Bandar Utama in PJ. There are 20 stations in total serving large population centres in Selangor – Prasarana says that two million people live along the route, and it is looking at ridership of 67,000 a day for the first year of operations, rising to 117,708 a day within five years.
How does LRT3 fit into the Rapid Rail network?
The LRT3 stations are Johan Setia, Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Klang Jaya, Seri Andalas, Taman Selatan, Jambatan Kota, Jalan Meru, Pasar Klang, Bandar Baru Klang, Seksyen 7 Shah Alam, UITM Shah Alam, Dato Menteri, Stadium Shah Alam, Kerjaya, Glenmarie 2, Subang, Damansara Idaman, BU 11, Kayu Ara and Bandar Utama.
There are two connecting stations on this line – Glenmarie 2 is linked to the LRT Kelana Jaya Line’s Glenmarie station (covered elevated walkway), while Bandar Utama is a MRT Kajang Line stop. Of course, this is linked to 1 Utama. Both lines head to KL, and the LRT Kelana Jaya Line has many stops in PJ and Subang too.
En route to KL, the MRT Kajang Line serves Pusat Bandar Damansara and Semantan, while the LRT KJ Line passes Midvalley (Abdullah Hukum station), Bangsar South (Kerinchi) and Bangsar. Both have stops have KL Sentral. These are all major business districts with a high concentration of offices, so those who commute from Klang and Shah Alam now have a rail option aside from the KTM Komuter. LRT3 will also greatly benefit the students of UiTM Shah Alam.
The malls and offices of PJ
We started our tour at the Bandar Utama station, which is housed in the 1 Powerhouse building that’s integrated with the M World Hotel (previously called Avante Hotel, not to be confused with One World Hotel).
This terminus has a Park n Ride facility in 1 Powerhouse, which has allocated 500 parking bays for commuters. As always with Park n Ride, make sure you use the same Touch n Go card for both car park and train ride to enjoy the special rate, which is RM4.50 for the MRT and RM4.30 for the LRT3. Parking without riding will incur maximum rates.
Aside from the giant mall that is 1 Utama, the Plaza IBM, KPMG Tower and 1 First Avenue office towers are all within sheltered walking distance. Surely, early BU homeowners never expected their taman to be a transport hub!
The next station is Kayu Ara, which while located in the kampung, is actually of walking distance to both the Damansara Uptown/Starling Mall and Damansara Jaya/Atria commercial areas. The Park n Ride here has 350 bays, but unlike in BU, it’s an open carpark. As a student, I used to live in SS21 just next to where the Kayu Ara station now is – the train is over two decades late!
Moving on, the BU11 (Bandar Utama 11) station is just next to the NKVE Damansara toll plaza, and there’s an office tower currently under construction there. Some might confuse this area for ‘Kayu Ara’ but that’s the kampung on the other side of the Sprint Highway.
Of more interest is Damansara Idaman – named after the posh landed homes skirting the NKVE, it serves the adjacent Ara Damansara township, which is now circled by train stations (Ara Damansara and Lembah Subang on the LRT KJL). There’s a jejantas across the highway to the Aman Suria area, so this station covers good ground. There’s even a Park n Ride here with 150 bays.
Not quite Subang, but very useful
The next station is called Subang, which is pretty misleading IMO. It’s actually located opposite the Persada PLUS building at the NKVE Subang toll, where all the Kelana Jaya condos are located. That area is SS7, which was the original name of the station. It might not be very Subang other than the fact that it sits next to the toll exit, but there’s no doubting its usefulness – this is high density area with many apartment blocks behind Paradigm Mall.
A short distance away is Glenmarie 2, one of two interchange stations on the LRT3 Shah Alam Line. As mentioned, this one is a short walk away from the LRT Kelana Jaya Line’s Glenmarie station, and everyone knows about the popular car park here. Here, you can compare the LRT3’s sharp tanjak-inspired station design against the old rounded look. By the way, changing trains here requires a tap out-tap in as they’re technically two different stations.
From here, the train tracks Glenmarie’s main road, which is Persiaran Kerjaya. You’ll pass all the car showrooms in the Temasya area on your left before the next station, Kerjaya, which is 50m away from our Driven Studios. This light industrial area is known for a couple of things – workshops if you’re a car guy, or food spots if you’re a foodie. The Hicom Glenmarie Industrial Park, Utropolis and University of Wollongong (UOW) Malaysia are in the vicinity.
Modern trains for Shah Alam
The first station in proper Shah Alam is Stadium Shah Alam. If you don’t already know, the landmark stadium that was home to Selangor FC has been demolished, and it’s now a big brown patch that will become a new stadium within a sports complex. Management & Science University (MSU) students are well-served by this station, which is also near Aeon Mall and Giant.
Most of the LRT3 track is elevated, and the sole underground portion is a 2.5-km stretch from Stadium Shah Alam to Persiaran Dato Menteri. Technically, there are two separate tunnels here – one for each direction. Originally, there were plans for an underground station at Persiaran Hishamuddin in Shah Alam, but it was cancelled in 2018 and wasn’t reinstated in July 2024 along with five overground stations. More on this later.
We emerge from the tunnel and arrive at the Dato Menteri station, which serves the Pusat Bandaraya of Shah Alam – SACC, PKNS and UTC are all within walking distance. From the train, there’s a nice view of the iconic Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in the midst of office blocks if you want to attempt a shot.
After Dato Menteri, the line will align itself with the Federal Highway. As mentioned, UiTM Shah Alam gets its own station and students here can now lepak at so many places without having to own a vehicle. Aeon Mall is two stations away, and there are lots of eateries in the bustling square of Seksyen 7, which is the next station. There’s a big Jakel here and the congestion in this area close to Hari Raya is epic to say the least.
Klang, the biggest beneficiary
Goodbye Shah Alam, hello Klang. At Bandar Baru Klang, we’re observed by a furry fellow perched on the steel frame of the station. Prasarana staff tell us that this beruk is an aggressive one who has attempted attacks on humans before, and asked us to keep our distance. It yawns and swings away, but will be back. BBK station is near KPJ Klang hospital while next station Pasar Klang is where the big wet market is. There are 100 Park n Ride bays here.
The line then tracks the major thoroughfare of Jalan Meru (there’s a Jalan Meru station too) before we reach Jambatan Kota. When we visited the LRT3 project in July 2024, Prasarana hosted transport minister Anthony Loke and the media at this station, but back then it was called Pasar Jawa after a famous bazaar next to the station. But the new name is apt as the station is right beside Klang town’s famous bridge, and there’s another ‘Pasar’ station nearby, which might confuse some.
For tourists (LRT3 has generated plenty of buzz among senior citizens, and our train had many aunty-uncle groups), Jambatan Kota is where you alight for Klang town. Check out Pasar Jawa and the Masjid Bandar Diraja Klang Utara before crossing the bridge for the famous Chong Kok Kopitiam. For the non-halal crowd, the OG ‘by the bridge’ BKT is in the same square – both eateries are near the KTM Komuter station. Slightly further afield, you’ll find Little India.
Exiting town, the train serves major neighbourhoods in Klang such as Taman Selatan (Southern Park), Seri Andalas, Klang Jaya and Bandar Bukit Tinggi. The Taman Selatan station was originally called Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, and Klang’s GH is located between this and the Seri Andalas station, which has a huge 550-bay Park n Ride facility.
Moving on, Klang Jaya station is next to Lotus’s Bandar Bukit Tinggi while the Bandar Bukit Tinggi station is where Aeon Bukit Tinggi is, so don’t get confused. The Bandar Botanik township and GM Klang is just across the road from here, so while waiting for the reinstated station to be built, everyone here can use BBT, which has 600 Park n Ride bays, by the way.
Or they can head to the nearby Johan Setia terminus, which has another 550 parking lots. From a non-resident’s point of view, it does seem like Klang has no shortage of LRT3 stations, and all major neighbourhoods are catered for without the route having to detour too much (sorry, Setia Alam). By the way, the government is planning transit-oriented development (TOD) projects on these vast Park n Ride facilities, to better utilise the land. It will be affordable housing plus commercial elements – full story here.
The five reinstated stations
In 2028, the Tropicana (previously called Lien Hoe after an office block), Temasya, Persiaran Hishamuddin, Raja Muda (previously called Sirim), Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik stations were cancelled to slash costs. In July 2024, the cabinet agreed to reinstate the five overground stations (minus the underground Persiaran Hishamuddin), and work is slated to start at the end of this year.
Interestingly, they will be constructing the five reinstated stations while the line is operating, which adds to the complexity. Anyway, the budget for this is RM4.7 billion, which includes the purchase of seven extra train sets, additional support systems and the expansion of the Johan Setia depot. Another RM600 million has been allocated for the purchase of 150 electric buses and two bus depots.
Are all of the returning stations really necessary? Bandar Botanik is a stone’s throw away from Bandar Bukit Tinggi and Johan Setia is nearby too – both have huge Park n Ride facilities. Similarly, the affluent Tropicana has Damansara Idaman just outside its border, and the MRT Kajang Line’s Surian station is just a short drive away. There are some office blocks surrounding the proposed location, though.
It looks like Shah Alam’s most populous areas are well-served by the line, so perhaps chalking off the sole underground station – which is much costlier to build than an overground one – is the right move.
Nice new trains
The LRT3 Shah Alam Line currently has 22 three-car train sets made by CRRC Zhuzhou in China. The maximum operating speed is 80 km/h and maximum capacity is 624 passengers. An end-to-end ride will take around 70 minutes (more than half a day for us with all the filming) and the frequency is eight minutes for peak hours and 10-15 minutes non-peak.
Compared to its predecessors, LRT3 trains offer a smoother and more comfortable ride, as you’d expect from a newer model. Personally, I like to peer out of windows to see where the train is passing, and those on the LRT3 trains are sizeable enough (MRT Kajang Line is still the best with its long door windows), while the overall feel is bright and airy. Our return trip to BU was in a relatively empty train and it was freezing, so pack a jacket, night riders.
There are some green features (not literally, the trains have a purple cabin theme) for the LRT3 trains, including inverter air con systems and a smart control system for the AC that adjusts according to temperature and load. The train also uses LED lighting and its design (big windows) maximises natural lighting – all these work together to for improved energy efficiency.
Interestingly, there’s also a regenerative braking system that recuperates energy that will otherwise be wasted, just like in cars. The DC power is converted to AC before being fed back into the 33kV network to power the track and station. Speaking of stations, they are equipped with auto-start escalators (doesn’t move when not needed) and rainwater harvesting for toilet use.
Most of the stations are breezy and well-ventilated, partly because of an army of household-style wall fans on the platforms. Compared to industrial-style fans, they might look a bit simple and even odd, but they certainly do the job at a low cost. My home station is on the MRT Kajang Line, born before the era of austerity, so the lines that came after it (MRT Putrajaya Line is the biggest contrast) appear less fancy in design and fittings. They’re functional though, and that’s all that matters.
Substantial savings for daily commuting
If you don’t want to drive to the station and take up one of the 2,300 available Park n Ride bays, the usual feeder bus and Rapid On-Demand vans are available for first- and last mile connection from all stations. As with everything else, you can’t possibly please everyone with stops at every street, but the Rapid On-Demand vans have massively increased reach in the past couple of years. Compared to e-hailing, it’s affordable too at RM2 per ride.
Note that Rapid On-Demand vans are not covered by the My50 monthly travel pass, which gives you unlimited rides on all Rapid trains and feeder buses for just RM50 a month. Even if you factor in an extra RM4 a day for the ROD rides or Park n Ride (RM20 a week, RM80 a month), it comes up to RM130 a month, which is probably the price of season parking in KL’s commercial areas.
We’re looking at substantial savings for Klang and Shah Alam folks here, and that’s before taking into account the costs of the Federal Highway gridlock (masa itu emas, they say) or the NKVE’s jam + toll (is Kesas better?). So, have you tried the LRT3 Shah Alam Line for your daily commute? Does the route ‘fall nicely’ for you? Watch our video below and if you’re already a regular, share your experience.
GALLERY: LRT3 Shah Alam Line
GALLERY: LRT3 Shah Alam Line, Johan Setia station
GALLERY: LRT3 Shah Alam Line, Jambatan Kota station and train
GALLERY: LRT3 Shah Alam Line official images
