SPAD hints at higher LRT and Monorail fares

KUALA LUMPUR: LRT and Monorail fares are expected to go up before the first leg of the Ampang Line’s extension is opened to the public on Oct 31.

Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said the new fares would apply to Prasarana’s railways and hinted that these might be higher.

“The public is interested to get the best service. (But) there is always the cost element.

“But at the same time, we want to make sure it is not a burden to the rakyat,” he told reporters at the Awan Besar LRT station.

He said this after a tour of the first phase of the Ampang Line extension, which will see four stations opened by Oct 31.

In July, Prasarana, which runs the LRT and Monorail lines, had asked SPAD to increase fares, adding that prices had been the same since 2002.

However, Syed Hamid implied that the new fares would probably not affect other lines, such as the ERL and the KTM Komuter.

“This is (for) the LRT and Monorail – those that are operated by Prasarana,” he said.

He also declined to say how much of a hike there might be, adding that this would be “pre-empting” the gazetting of the new fares.

Prasarana group managing director Datuk Azmi Abdul Aziz said the first phase of the Ampang Line extension was 99.4% complete, with tests being carried out now.

The company expects the first phase of the extension to see another 40,000 riders using the Ampang Line every day.

Currently, some 195,000 people ride the Ampang trains every day, with another 275,000 taking the Kelana Jaya Line daily.

The Ampang Line will also see brand new six-car train sets running on it, capable of carrying up to 1,200 people at one time, Syed Hamid said.

The full Ampang Line extension will see another seven stations opened by March 31.

Ending at Putra Heights, the line will link with the Kelana Jaya extension project, which is on track for a June 30 completion.