KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — The MRT3 Circle Line that aims to close the public rail loop in the Klang Valley will soon be ready for boarding, and from today you can have your word on it.
The 51-km rail line that loops around Malaysia’s capital city will have 39 km of tracks above ground and 12 km underground, with 32 stops altogether.
The MRT3 will link up with existing MRT, LRT, KTM, and Monorail lines at 10 key interchange stations:
- Two stations on the MRT Kajang Line: Bukit Kiara Selatan and Taman Midah
- Two stations on the MRT Putrajaya Line: Titiwangsa and Kuchai
- Two stations on the LRT Kelana Jaya Line: Setiawangsa and Pantai Dalam
- Three stations on the LRT Ampang Line: Pandan Indah and Titiwangsa
- One station on the KL Monorail line: Titiwangsa
- Two stations on KTM Komuter line: Pantai Dalam and Kompleks Duta
- One city bus station: BRT Sunway Line
Of the 32 stops on the Circle Line, 22 will be elevated, seven will be underground, and there will be an additional three provisional elevated stations.
What this means is that a passenger from Titiwangsa could easily head straight to Kuchai using the MRT Putrajaya Line, as an example.
Background on the MRT3 Circle Line project
It was initially shelved by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018 due to financial constraints and revived by the Perikatan Nasional administration in 2021.
However in 2022, MRT Corp CEO Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim was reportedsaying the project is set to begin operations in phases starting in 2028, with full operation expected by 2030. Mohd Zarif also said that the project would be funded by the government, with private funding investments covering the initial costs.
In January, Mohd Zarif forecasted that the land acquisition process for MRT3 would be completed within two years.
The land acquisition process involves over 1,000 lots of land, the majority of which are private lots, with the original cost for the project estimated at RM68 billion in 2018.
In the revised Budget 2023, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government intends to review the cost of the MRT3 project in the hope of reducing the total amount to below RM45 billion. However, there was no allocation of funds for MRT3 in the 2024 Budget.
Here’s what else you should know about the Circle Line:
- It can accommodate 25,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Each train can carry up to 750 passengers.
- A complete journey on the MRT3 will take approximately 73 minutes, or just under one-and-a-quarter hours.
- Trains will run every four minutes during peak hours and every seven minutes during off-peak times.
Want to know more?
From September 2 to December 2, the alignment map will be displayed for public inspection at 35 locations across the Klang Valley, including eight MRT Info Kiosks and 27 MRT Info Trucks situated at major sites.
The map provides detailed information about the MRT3 Circle Line, including site plans and project details in compliance with Section 84 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010.
Those who want to know more but are less keen to visit the physical display can inspect the alignment map online from the comfort of home at the MRT3 microsite, which also provides an interactive 360° virtual tour of the Circle Line.
Public feedback can be submitted online through the same microsite, or the MRT3 Customer Careline at 1 800-88-6782.
