"As far as fault-free run for LRT3, it has not commenced yet. There are still some issues that the contractor has not resolved.”
PETALING JAYA (Jan 7): There is still no expected operational date for the Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3) Shah Alam Line, as the project has yet to enter its final fault-free running (FFR) testing phase following the confirmed delay, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said on Wednesday.
Loke said unresolved issues with the main contractor, Setia Utama LRT3 Sdn Bhd (SULRT3), a unit of Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (KL:MRCB), have prevented the start of the final testing phase. No new timeline has been set for the FFR, he added.
“As far as fault-free run for LRT3, it has not commenced yet,” he told reporters during a press conference. “There are still some issues that the contractor has not resolved."
He said a meeting will be held next week between Prasarana and the main contractor to determine the next course of action and to establish when the FFR can begin.
“As far as today, still no fixed date yet,” Loke said.
Loke said all 22 trains must complete the FFR before the project can be submitted to the Transport Ministry for approval to begin operations.
The minister acknowledged public frustration over the repeated delays but stressed that safety considerations override scheduling pressures.
“As much as we are disappointed with the delay, we have no choice (as) safety must come first,” he said. “Safety must be prioritised, but I can assure the public that the contractor has to take accountability for this."
LRT3 operational date remains uncertain
Prasarana officials confirmed in December that the 37.8km Shah Alam Line would not open in 2025 due to system stability and software issues detected during testing.
The Edge previously reported that operations were likely to be delayed again after several issues uncovered during the train and system testing could not be resolved in time.
The line was originally scheduled to open on Sept 30 before being postponed to Dec 31.
According to SULRT3, a total of 33 software glitches were identified during system testing that began on Aug 26, including problems with train docking, door operations, station departures and false alarms.
During the final testing phase, the regulator requires the first train to complete 4,000km without faults, while the remaining trains must each run 2,500km fault-free.
As of mid-December, the first train had completed the 4,000km requirement, while three others had reached 3,000km each.
All trains will have to be re-evaluated by the Land Public Transport Agency following the earlier glitches.