Building connections: Loke checking out a virtual map at Prasarana’s headquarters in Ara Damansara. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Plans to commission the Shah Alam LRT line remain stuck in the mud, with Transport Minister Anthony Loke saying that there is no definitive date for the start of its mandatory “fault-free run” (FFR).
This means Klang Valley commuters will have a longer wait for the project, formerly known as the LRT3, to begin operations.
“It (FFR) has yet to commence as there are still some issues that the contractor has to resolve. As of now, there is no fixed date yet,” Loke said.
The FFR is a vital integration test designed to ensure all the trains and their supporting systems function cohesively as a unified and safe network.
He added that public transport operator Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and the main contractor are scheduled to meet next week to determine the next course of action.
Loke stressed that the FFR must be successfully completed across all 23 trains before trial operations can even be considered.
“As much as we are disappointed by the delay, safety must be prioritised. The contractor will have to take accountability for the situation,” he said during a media briefing on Prasarana’s 2025 performance and 2026 outlook at its headquarters in Ara Damansara.
The Shah Alam LRT line was originally slated to start operations on Sept 30 last year, before being revised to Dec 31.
However, Prasarana announced last month that the opening had been delayed further due to system stability and software issues.
Once operational, the 37km line will serve more than two million residents.
The route spans 25 stations from Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya to Johan Setia in Klang, providing a critical link between dense residential areas and major commercial hubs in the Greater Klang Valley.
Despite the setbacks in the Shah Alam line, Prasarana celebrated a landmark year for its existing operations.
Daily ridership across its bus and rail networks surged to an average of 1.31 million passengers in 2025, an 11% increase from the 1.18 million recorded in 2024.
This growth was punctuated by a historic high on Dec 31, 2025, which saw 1.63 million passengers utilise the service.
Prasarana president and group chief executive officer Amir Hamdan attributed this to “increasing trust in our rail and bus operations, which are growing stronger and increasingly consistent”.
New Year’s Eve rail usage alone reached 1.35 million, while buses contributed 302,700 in ridership.
The 2025 report card also showcased a dramatic improvement in rail reliability.
Technical disruptions – defined as delays exceeding five minutes – plummeted by 56% compared to the previous year.
Only 31 cases were recorded in 2025, a significant drop from 71 in 2024, 118 in 2023 and 252 in 2022.
Loke noted that while internal maintenance has improved, external factors continue to disrupt service.
In the final quarter of 2025 alone, there were six cases of cable theft and two instances of foreign objects falling onto the tracks.
“The reality is that not every disruption is due to the operator,” Loke said. “Without the cable, the system cannot function properly.”
Efforts to modernise the bus fleet are also moving forward.
Amir confirmed that 310 diesel buses are arriving in stages, with procurement ending by February 2026.
This will be followed by the delivery of 250 electric buses starting in March, with total procurement of the EV fleet expected to be completed by March 2027.
