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KUALA LUMPUR – The Transport Ministry must explain why MRT3’s projected average daily ridership upon completion will be lower than that of the MRT1 and MRT2 lines, PKR vice-president Chang Lim Keng said.
The Tanjung Malim MP said MRT3’s projected average of 180,300 passengers daily falls short compared with the 442,000 for the MRT1 (Kajang Line), and 529,000 for the MRT2 (Putrajaya Line).
Chang noted that the MRT3 line is longer than MRT1, at 51km and 33 stations, compared with the MRT1’s 42km and 29 stations. The MRT2 line is 56km with 36 stations.
“What makes the ridership projection plummet so drastically to 180,300? MRT3 is longer than MRT1 and will pass by more stations, but its daily ridership projection is only 40% of MRT1.
“Compared with MRT2, MRT 3 is only 5km shorter and three stations fewer, but its daily ridership projection could not even attain 35% of MRT2.
“Either the minister gave a fake answer in Parliament on the MRT3 projection, or projections on MRT1 and MRT2 are vastly inaccurate. If so, the previous government was deceived into building the extravagant MRT1 and MRT2,” Chang said in a statement today.
MRT3, to cost around RM50 billion, is currently under construction.
Chang, however, said that since MRT1 launched operations in 2017, its average daily ridership had only peaked at 204,821 in 2019.
“Not only was it nowhere near its target, it was not even half of its projection of 442,000,” he said.
During the last Parliament sitting, Chang had submitted a question to the Transport Ministry on the MRT3 average daily ridership projection.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong replied that MRT3 is scheduled to operate in two phases, in 2028 and 2030, respectively.
While projected ridership in 2028 after completion is 180,300 passengers, this is expected to increase to 1.01 million passengers daily in 2060. – Bernama, August 11, 2022