Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has recently revealed that vehicles entering Kuala Lumpur may incur a congestion fee when the Mass Rapid Transit Line 3 (MRT3) project is completed in 2030. Entering vehicles would be charged not just to reduce congestion, but as the minister puts it, also for environmental protection.
Wee said the proposal would be deliberated once the public transport network system is completed and said that many countries have already implemented such a fee. Major cities including London, Stockholm, Singapore, Milan, and Gothenburg impose congestion tax levies through different price mechanisms to reduce road congestion, reduce pollution, and encourage the use of public transport.
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MRT3, also known as the Circle Line, is an upcoming rail alignment running 51km long with a total of 31 stations across KL and Selangor that would form a loop line of the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. It will be integrated with other MRT lines as well as the LRT, Monorail, and KTM Komuter through 10 interchange stations.
Tenders for MRT3, which was recently revived [PDF] after being shelved in 2019, are slated to begin this year with a phase 1 opening target of December 2028, with full completion in 2030. The second MRT line, dubbed the Putrajaya Line, is due to start operating 12 stations this year after a delay, with the remaining 24 stations to open in 2023 for a total of 36 stations.
(Source: Parlimen/YouTube.)
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