Commuters interviewed about the scrapping of MRT3 project

KUALA LUMPUR: Several people interviewed said they hoped that the government would reconsider its decision to scrap the Mass Rapid Transit 3 (MRT3) project, construction of which was to have begun next year.
Shalida Abu Hasan, 40, an executive officer at a private company, said he believes the project should be implemented as it would facilitate public transport in the Klang Valley.
"But if the country's finances are not in a stable condition, it is better to postpone it (as opposed to scrapping it). As a daily MRT user, I find that it is much easier for me to travel, especially in Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas," he told Bernama.
The new Pakatan Harapan government decided to cancel the project, which was conceived by the previous Barisan Nasional government, citing what it referred to as the prohibitive cost of RM40 billion.
The MRT3 line, which was planned to run around the periphery of the Kuala Lumpur city centre, would have included Ampang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Jalan Bukit Bintang, the Tun Razak Exchange, Bandar Malaysia, KL Eco City, Pusat Bandar Damansara, Mont Kiara and Sentul.
It had been proposed that the line have 26 stations, 19 of them underground, on the route of about 40km.
Bank officer Tan Chee Hoon, 40, shared Shalida's view, saying he understood the government's rationale to cancel the project but hoped that it would consider reviving it in the future.
"The financial status of our country is still not good enough to carry out big projects like the MRT3, and we have to let the government focus on settling the national debt first," he said.
Yusof Muhammad, 53, also disagreed with the decision to scrap the project without a detailed review.
He felt that while putting the project on hold, the government should conduct a study on the number of passengers using MRT1 and MRT2 to see if they met their objective.
"If both the MRT lines have achieved the targeted number of commuters, then it is possible to review the suitability of MRT3, but to cancel it, I disagree with that, as it really helps people to get around without having to drive their own vehicles," he said.
Meanwhile, event manager Tan Zhen Sheng, 23, said that although he had yet to see the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the MRT3 project, he believed Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had a strong reason to scrap it.
"If it is cancelled, maybe there are alternative methods to address the situation, such as reducing public transport fares and increasing the timeliness of the existing services, be it buses or trains," he said.
University student Syahmirul Sahruzaman, 19, said it was the correct decision to cancel the project as it was not an urgent necessity.
"I think the existing public transport infrastructure such as Light Rail Transit (LRT), MRT1 and the upcoming MRT2 as well as public buses provide enough access for the public to get to where they need to," he added. — Bernama