KLANG: Construction work on the Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3) from Bandar Utama to Johan Setia in Selangor has reached 95.6% completion and the line is expected to be operational in the third quarter of next year, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said construction work on the alignment, which includes the building of 20 stations, is expected to be completed in October.
This will be followed by system integration work, which should be completed early next year, he told reporters after inspecting the LRT3 project progress at the Pasar Jawa Station here on Monday (July 29).
"After this, we will be ready for testing and commissioning, which will take three to four months before starting operations by the third quarter of next year,” he added.
Loke said the expected operational timeline had overshot the original target of March next year, partly because work could not be carried out during the pandemic.
Loke said the Cabinet meeting on July 5 also agreed to reinstate the project's original scope involving five stations – Tropicana, Temasya, Raja Muda, Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik.
He said the reinstatement of these five stations will involve the purchase of an additional seven sets of three-car trains, the expansion of the train depot at Johan Setia, and the acquisition of 150 electric buses for feeder services, along with the construction of two bus depots.
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He said this will involve an additional cost of RM3.8bil, including the cost of creating feeder bus services between the first and last stations to enhance the LRT3 service.
"The additional scope and other works will take two years, but will not affect the opening and operational dates for the 20 stations," he said.
Loke said the reinstatement of the five stations showed the government’s commitment to continuously improve public transportation and promote its use, especially in the Klang Valley.
He said the route will serve several high-density areas, especially from Bandar Utama, Shah Alam and Klang, which previously lacked an LRT service.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when presenting Budget 2024, announced that the government would resume the proposed construction of the five stations that were previously cancelled, at a cost of RM4.7bil.
The project, which starts at Bandar Utama and ends at Johan Setia, is expected to cost approximately RM16bil.
On another matter, Loke said the ministry had made a decision on implementing the automatic upgrade of motorcycle licences from class B2 to full B class, and will make an announcement soon.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was previously reported as saying that the age limit and the duration of holding a B2 class motorcycle licence are among factors to be considered before the proposal for an automatic upgrade to full B class can be finalised. – Bernama
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