LRT3 nearing 99% completion, to begin operations on Sept 30 — Loke

• Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated that the trial run without passengers will be conducted in two phases to ensure the safety of the LRT3 service.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): The Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3), which connects Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya to Johan Setia, Klang, is scheduled to begin operations on September 30 this year, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

The 37.8km-long LRT line has reached 98.63% completion and is expected to be fully completed and handed over to Prasarana Malaysia Bhd by the turnkey contractor on July 31, Loke said in a written parliamentary reply on Wednesday.

He was responding to Azli Yusof (Pakatan Harapan-Shah Alam), who inquired about the latest status of the LRT3 project, including the trial run period and the target date for full operation.

Loke stated that the trial run without passengers will be conducted in two phases to ensure the safety of the LRT3 service.

A trial run (TR) and fault free run (FFR) under the first phase will be conducted by the main contractor, Setia Utama LRT3 Sdn Bhd, over 75 days from mid-April to late-June 2025. During this period, the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) will assess the safety, compliance and system reliability, Loke said.

A trial operation under the second phase will be carried out by Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd with technical support from the main contractor.

"This phase will begin after the completion and approval of TR and FFR by APAD, lasting 60 days from July to August 2025," Loke added.

LRT3, initially designed with 26 stations to serve the western corridor of Greater Klang Valley, was launched in 2016 during the Barisan Nasional administration with a budget of RM9 billion.

However, this RM9 billion did not include additional costs such as project delivery partner fees (6%), consultant fees, operational expenses, overhead costs and interest payments during construction, bringing the total cost to RM31.7 billion.

In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government decided to shelve the construction of five stations and cancel one as part of a cost-cutting initiative, reducing the overall project cost to RM16.63 billion.

However, during the Budget 2024 presentation in Dewan Rakyat, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the revival of the five shelved LRT3 stations — Tropicana, Raja Muda, Temasya, Bukit Raja and Bandar Botanik — at a cost of RM4.7 billion.

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