MRT3 Is Back On With Cost Of RM39.4 Billion, Operational By 2030

After a long period in bureaucratic limbo after being suspended by the Pakatan Harapan government, the MRT3 Circle Line project has been approved for commencement, confirmed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob last week.

It was later revealed that the project would come at an astronomical cost of around RM39.4 billion with construction itself being valued at RM31 billion (similar to the Putrajaya line) but land acquisitions costing an additional RM8.4 billion.

Often called the ‘Circle Line’ given its looped route and touted as the missing link to an integrated KL transit system, MRT3 is projected to have an overall length of 51km (40km elevated tracks, 11 underground tunnels) with 31 stations (10 of which are interchange stations) covering dense areas such as Mont Kiara and Hartamas that currently have no railed public transport options.

This would give the MRT3 line a per-kilometre cost of around RM784 million, making it the most expensive light rail project in Malaysia by far in a given distance. To cover this dizzying cost, the government is seeking backers from the private sector to finance construction in a “hybrid” style with project tenders expected to open later this year.

Planned to be opened to the public in phases, the first completed and tested section of the MRT3 Circle Line is expected to be open to the public sometime in 2028 with the rest of it seeing action in 2030.

As a reminder, there is only one MRT line currently in operation running between Kajang and Sungai Buloh (hence the name Kajang Line). The Putrajaya line, meanwhile, has been undergoing pre-launch performance testing for a number of months. MRT Corp says its new opening timeline, at least for Phase 1, has been pushed to Q2 2022.

Coinciding with the expected completion window of the MRT3 project, the Transport Minister also said that the government is taking a long, hard look at implementing a congestion charge for cars entering the Kuala Lumpur city centre. This is similar to what is being done in other major cities around the world, but the template for which was first set in Singapore with their ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) system.