The first set of the three-car trains for the LRT 3 line has arrived at an installation facility in Batu Gajah, Perak. The train from China will be undergoing installation of interior parts at the facility owned by CRRC Rolling Stock Center (Malaysia).
The train, supplied by CRRC Corporation Limited, China, is the first of 22 sets of three-car trains expected to operate on the 37.6km line connecting Johan Setia in Klang to Bandar Utama, going through Shah Alam. The 22 sets were reduced from an original order of 42 sets of 6-car trains when the Pakatan Harapan administration sought to reduce the cost of the project in 2018.
The Bandar Utama LRT station will be connected to its mass rapid transit (MRT) counterpart and act as an interchange between the Bandar Utama–Klang line and Kajang MRT line. Similarly, the Glenmarie station in Kelana Jaya will be the interchange station between LRT 3 and the Kelana Jaya line.
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Initially slated to be operational by 2020, the project was delayed to February 2024 due to a cut in construction costs. As of March 2021, the LRT 3 line is 51% completed despite controversies of operator Prasarana allegedly not paying subcontractors .
A total of 26 stations were originally planned but after the cost-cutting exercise, five stations became provisional and one station was canceled. Lim Guan Eng, then finance minister, said the shelved stations may be constructed in the future if demand picks up. Lim stated that the rationalisation reduced costs by 47%, from RM31.65 billion to RM16.63 billion.
(Sources: Rapid KL via Facebook, NST, The Edge Markets)
