The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj, expressed his gratitude when the Shah Alam LRT3 Line project was finally realized after going through various challenges and delays.
The 37.8-kilometer line connecting Bandar Utama to Johan Setia began operating on June 29 after being officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the day before.
His Majesty expressed his gratitude to former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for accepting the proposal to build a rail line connecting Klang, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur.
According to his Majesty, the proposal was presented to Najib in 2015 after receiving many complaints from the people about serious traffic congestion, especially on the Federal Highway.
The Sultan of Selangor also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for agreeing to continue the LRT3 project after taking over the country's administration.
According to his Majesty's address, the Anwar-led government not only revived the project, but also approved the reconstruction of five previously cancelled stations and planned the construction of affordable housing around the LRT3 route to benefit the people.
His Majesty also appreciated the government's efforts to overcome various obstacles to ensure the project could be completed, in addition to expressing his gratitude and congratulations to Anwar for the success of realizing the LRT3.
In the same address, the Sultan of Selangor also stated that the LRT3 project was delayed by more than 18 months after the change of government in 2018, in addition to being delayed for 19 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
His Majesty also criticized the decision of the then Ministry of Finance under Lim Guan Eng and Tony Pua to reduce the scope of the project, including reducing the size of the stations and reducing the number of carriages, because he believed that the move did not meet the real needs of the people.
His Majesty stressed that the LRT3 was not a mega project to boast about, but rather was developed to improve the well-being and public transport facilities of the people of Selangor.
LRT3 now connects the Bandar Utama, Shah Alam and Klang areas via 25 stations, thus expected to benefit approximately two million residents in the western corridor of the Klang Valley.
In conjunction with its opening, the government also announced a month-long free ride on LRT3 services and connecting buses from 29 June to 31 July to encourage the use of public transport.
