THE five newly-revived LRT3 stations will not delay the city train service to Shah Alam and Klang by March 2025 as they will be built under phase two of the transport project, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke told the Dewan Rakyat that public transport provider Prasarana Malaysia Bhd had suggested two separate phases to operate the line that links Shah Alam and Klang to the existing Klang Valley Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines.

“Phase One, which covers the entire 37.8km track and 20 existing stations, is expected to begin operations on March 1, 2025,” said Loke, the Pakatan Harapan MP for Seremban.

“Safety assessments on the operation of the stations during the construction of the five additional stations are being carried out to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers while adhering to construction timelines,” he said in his Budget 2023 winding-up speech.

Loke disclosed that Phase Two stations are projected to open during the second quarter of 2027, two years after Phase One is ready.

The LRT3 project has been underway since 2017, Loke said, adding that as of 2023, 89% of works for the project has been completed.

On concerns about floods at the project site, the minister said Prasarana and project contractors have always engaged with local authorities, the Public Works Department, the Irrigation and Drainage Department, the Environment Department, as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Department.

“All constructions are according to approved plans and allowed work procedures, in addition to being supervised by professional engineers, surveyors and occupational safety officers,” Loke added.

Putrajaya has allocated RM4.7 billion for the five stations – Tropicana, Temasya, Raja Muda, Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik – to cover construction costs, including provisions to support the five stations’ power supply, distribution and communication systems, he said in the Dewan Rakyat.

The allocation includes the procurement of three units of three-car train sets to maintain the six-minute headway for LRT3, since the journey time for each train from end-to-end will be slightly longer with the additional stations.

The minister said the train depot will also require upgrading with the addition of tracks, power conductor rails and maintenance vehicles.

Prasarana had previously said the final cost of the project would only be known once the actual construction costs of all the elements was determined.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced in his Budget 2024 that the revived five stations was expected to improve the public transport network in the Klang Valley and benefit two million citizens at a cost of RM4.7 billion.

Loke said last July that the 22 new three-coach trains for the line have been fully built and undergoing test runs.

He said the new line would connect a number of bustling districts in Klang, Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya to the overall RapidKL rail network through two interchange stations.

The two interchange stations are the Glenmarie station (with the Kelana Jaya LRT Line) and Bandar Utama station (with the Kajang MRT Line).

Once operational, the line will be able to transport up to 18,630 passengers per hour, said Loke. – November 2, 2023.