PETALING JAYA: Prasarana’s founding CEO has called for a rethink of plans to revive five stations on the LRT3 project and also urged the government to provide a detailed breakdown of the RM4.7 billion allocation for the stations.
Ridza Abdoh Salleh said a detailed breakdown would help clear the air over the costs involved, which he says is equivalent to the construction of several luxury hotels.
The allocation was announced by Prime Minister and finance minister Anwar Ibrahim in the 2024 budget tabled in October. Construction of the five LRT3 stations had been previously shelved in 2018.
The LRT3 line runs over a total length of 37km from Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya to Klang. It is linked to the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT at Bandar Utama and with the Kelana Jaya LRT line at Glenmarie station.
Transport minister Loke Siew Fook has said the allocation was not only for the construction of the stations it also includes the procurement of three-car train sets, depot upgrades, expenses for engineers, project management and legal fees.
But Ridza, who led Prasarana in the early 2000s, said there was a need for more details.
“They lump everything under the RM4.7 billion (allocation). It is a bit difficult to identify what is the real cost of each component. It’s good for them to be transparent,” he told FMT.
Ridza said the government should reconsider its plan to revive the construction of the five LRT3 stations.
The Public Transport Users Association president Ajit Johl also called for greater transparency over the RM4.7 billion allocation.
“You can’t just announce (the allocation) and expect the public to accept it. This is taxpayers’ money we are talking about, and there needs to be accountability,” he told FMT.
Ajit said while construction costs would have increased since 2018, there was a need for the government to provide more details on the costs involved. - FMT
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