KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 4): Phase 1 of the MRT Putrajaya Line (previously referred to as MRT2) — covering the stretch between the Kwasa Damansara and Kampung Batu stations —  is 99.9% completed and is expected to open in November.

Announcing this on Monday, Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) said Phase 2 — from the Kentonmen to Putrajaya Sentral stations — is 93.52% completed and is expected to become operational in January 2023.

MRT Corp said this in a statement in conjunction with Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong’s inspection of the MRT Putrajaya Line’s underground works.

“The completion of the MRT Putrajaya Line comes at a very important time,” the company quoted Wee as saying. “The MRT will help all of us as one Keluarga Malaysia go back to work and return to living our normal lives. It will play a crucial role in the country’s economic recovery.”

Wee added that as the country moves towards recovery, the safety of passengers must still be the top priority and all Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) must be followed.

He said that the Ministry of Transport will ensure that public transport operators enforce SOPs strictly, so that the safety of all users will be ensured.

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim, who was present at the inspection, was quoted as saying that the Klang Valley MRT project will be an important initiative towards reducing Kuala Lumpur’s carbon emissions.

“The Klang Valley MRT project will help reduce the use of private vehicles, making Kuala Lumpur a greener and more sustainable city for all its inhabitants.

“We need to get more people to use public transport and leave their cars at home, and the MRT project is one of the most important initiatives for us to achieve this,” he added.

During the inspection, the ministers checked the readiness of the crossover, tracks, switching systems, underground station and other structures and facilities located beneath Jalan Tun Razak, said MRT Corp.

“This crossover is one of two within the MRT Putrajaya Line’s underground section. Crossovers are an important feature of the MRT to enable it to operate efficiently and safely by allowing trains to be taken out of service, without disrupting mainline train operations and allowing additional trains to be introduced into service to increase train frequency,” it said.

The 13.5km underground section of the MRT Putrajaya Line has nine underground stations. Tunnelling works for the section was completed on Oct 11 last year. A total of 12 tunnel boring machines were used to excavate the twin tunnels.