KLANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has officially launched the RM16.63bil Shah Alam Line (LRT3), with the new rail service expected to carry 67,000 passengers a day in its first year of operations and more than 117,000 daily within five years.
The 37.8km line linking Bandar Utama and Johan Setia is expected to benefit about two million people living along the corridor, while improving connectivity across the western Klang Valley and easing traffic congestion.
“This is another sign of our determination, with the government and private sector working together in transport and infrastructure to ensure public transport is prioritised, providing greater comfort and convenience for the people,” Anwar said at the launch of the LRT Shah Alam Line here on Sunday (June 28).
Anwar said the government had also approved an additional RM4.7bil to reinstate five stations - Tropicana, Raja Muda, Temasya, Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik - that were previously dropped from the project.
He said such major allocations inevitably came with trade-offs, as funding for one project could mean delaying, scaling back or restructuring others.
He added that the government also had to balance spending on national priorities such as flood mitigation, rural development and poverty eradication.
Anwar warns Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and the Transport Ministry against leakages and practices that could damage the organisation’s performance and reputation.
The Shah Alam Line connects Shah Alam, Klang and Bandar Utama, with interchanges to the Kelana Jaya and Kajang LRT lines.
It is Malaysia’s first rail project to use U-Trough technology, which employs precast U-shaped girders manufactured off-site before installation, allowing faster construction, reducing disruption to the public and incorporating noise barriers to minimise operational noise.
