Transport Minister Anthony Loke today confirmed that the opening of the Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3) Shah Alam line has been delayed yet again. Initially scheduled for 30 September 2025, operations are now expected to begin by year-end.
The confirmation comes after a report published by The Star from earlier today, which suggested that the rail line’s opening would only happen at the end of 2025. In Parliament on 30 July, Loke stated that the project was 99.21% complete as of 10 July, while Prasarana had previously indicated that testing of the trains would continue until 31 October.
According to Loke, the delay stems from several ongoing tests that still need to be completed before passenger service can begin. “Nonetheless, we are committed to ensuring that the initial LRT3 alignment from Klang to Petaling Jaya will begin operating before year-end,” he said. “The project has been closely monitored and we are confident it can be opened to the public as planned.”
For the line to be cleared for operation, the first of its 22 trains must complete 4,000 km of fault-free testing this week, while the remaining sets must each clock at least 2,000 km. Each train also needs to prove it can run the full line within an hour at a headway of no more than six minutes, enabling a capacity of 18,630 passengers per hour per direction.
To recap, the LRT3 project spans 37 kilometres and will consist of 25 stations stretching from Bandar Utama to Johan Setia. Key interchanges along the route include Bandar Utama, which connects with the Kajang MRT line, and Glenmarie, which links to the Kelana Jaya LRT line. The project has undergone numerous changes since 2018, particularly in terms of cost-cutting and scaling down of initial plans.
(Source: New Straits Times)
