THE construction of the five Light Rail Transit Line 3 (LRT3) stations – revived after being cancelled previously – will now cost the entire project an additional RM5.3bil, says Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah.
These stations are expected to be operational by the second quarter (Q2) of 2028.
Hasbi said Prasarana Malaysia Bhd is in the midst of finalising the technical and financial aspects of the additional contract agreement for the project.
The design scope for the five stations – at Tropicana, Raja Muda, Temasya, Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik – is expected to begin in Q1 of next year, while construction is slated to start in Q4 of 2025 and take approximately two years to be completed.
“These five stations are targeted for construction completion by the fourth quarter of 2027, with operations projected to commence in Q2 2028,” Bernama reported Hasbi as saying during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat here yesterday.
Hasbi was responding to a question by Captain Azahari Hasan (PN-Padang Rengas) on the status of the LRT3 project.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had announced previously that the government will resume the proposed construction of the five stations.
The LRT3 project, which was approved in 2015, originally cost RM31.65bil. However, the cost was slashed to RM16.63bil in 2018 by reducing the project scope.
This was done as part of the then government’s cost-saving measures.
Hasbi said an additional RM5.3bil has been allocated for the construction of the five stations, bringing the total cost of the LRT3 project to RM21.93bil.
“When compared with the original cost, the latest expenditure still reflects a saving of RM9.72bil. The Finance Ministry is currently considering the funding sources for this reinstated scope,” he said.
He added that projections on daily commuters, particularly during peak hours, have also been taken into account.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in July that the construction work on the LRT3 project had reached 95.6% and is expected to be operational in Q3 of next year.
