The 37.8-km LRT3 Shah Alam line is now 99% complete and is set to start operating on September 30, transport minister Anthony Loke has said, according to The Edge.
The line, which connects Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya to Johan Setia in Klang, will be handed over to Prasarana by the turnkey contractor on July 31, Loke said yesterday in a written parliamentary reply to Shah Alam MP Azli Yusof‘s query on the project’s latest status.
The main contractor, Setia Utama LRT3 Sdn Bhd, will conduct a trial run and fault-free run (FFR) over 75 days from mid-April to late-June under the first phase, with the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) assessing safety, compliance and system reliability. The second phase will see Rapid Rail conduct a trial operation with technical support from the main contractor.
“This (second) phase will begin after the completion and approval of the trial run and fault-free run by APAD, lasting 60 days from July to August,” Loke said.
The Edge reports that LRT3, initially designed with 26 stations to serve the western corridor of the Greater Klang Valley, was launched in 2016 with a RM9 billion budget, which excluded additional costs such as project delivery partner fees (6%), consultant fees, operational expenses, overhead costs and interest payments during construction. The total cost was RM31.7 billion.
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 stations – Tropicana (previously Lien Hoe), Temasya, Raja Muda (Sirim), Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik – would be reinstated at a cost of RM5.3 billion.
LRT3 Shah Alam Line Pasar Jawa station, and the train