The wait for the LRT3 Shah Alam Line will soon be over, with the rail line expected to begin operations by the end of this month. This was indicated by transport minister Anthony Loke, who said that the line is ready for service and is currently undergoing trial operations, the New Straits Times reports.
“LRT3 will open at the end of this month, within the next two weeks. It is currently in trial operations and is ready. We expect it to begin operations towards the end of the month,” he said. This keeps to the timeline stated in February, when Loke had said that the service was expected to commence by June.
The rail line had originally been slated to start operations on September 30 last year, but last August, it was announced that the project had been delayed. In November, the project was said to be targeting December 31 for the launch of the line, but it was then announced in December that operations would not begin in 2025. The delay was put down to outstanding system stability and software issues identified during the testing and commissioning phase.
The delay is set to cost Setia Utama LRT 3, the main contractor for the project, quite a bit in terms of liquidated and ascertained damages (LAD). Previously, it was reported that the compensation rate is RM2.73 million – or 0.024% of the contract value – per delayed day. As of December 31, 2025, the total sum amounted to RM474.9 million. In April, Loke said that the final enforceable penalty will only be determined upon project completion, after which the standard dispute resolution process will apply.
Spanning 37.8 km, the line features 25 stations from Bandar Utama to Johan Setia, with interchanges at Bandar Utama (Kajang MRT) and Glenmarie (Kelana Jaya LRT). When it becomes operational, the rail line is expected to benefit more than two million residents in the western corridor of the Klang Valley.
Initially designed with 26 stations, the project was launched in 2016. In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government shelved the construction of five stations and cancelled one, reducing the overall cost to RM16.63 billion.
However, Budget 2024 saw prime minister and finance minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announce that the five shelved stations – Tropicana (previously Lien Hoe), Temasya, Raja Muda (Sirim), Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik – would be reinstated at a cost of RM5.3 billion.
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Elections are so near!! LoL.
Why SUCH A DRAG of time?