Over 2b passengers on board LRT in 20 years: Prasarana Malaysia CEO

KUALA LUMPUR: The Light-Rail Transit (LRT) line in the Klang Valley has ferried over two billion commuters since its inception 20 years ago.
This was disclosed by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd president and group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Azmi Abdul Aziz to reporters after the 20th anniversary celebrations of the launch of the Rapid KL Ampang LRT line at its Bukit Jalil station here.
Noting that the two billion passengers' mark was achieved in June, 2015; he said they have a daily ridership of 500,000 commuters throughout the entire LRT network and the figure did not include the volume on Rapid KL's buses.
"From an initial 10,000 to 190,000 commuters daily over the Ampang LRT line today, it clearly shows the leaps and bounds that we have made in the past 20 years," he said.
He also said investments on public transport were calculated through the economic rate of returns.
"The more the number of commuters using public transport services, the better it is for our productivity. The locations of the stations ensures that the economic activity thrives there as well," he added.
Second Finance Minister Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani, who earlier launched the event, said most governments, including the country's, generally subscribe to public transport investments as a 30 to 40-year investment.
"Despite the long period for returns, it is seen through an economic viewpoint," he added.
Taking Bukit Jalil and Ampang as an example, he said no one was interested to live there until the station was built and the connectivity created a demand, hence its population today.