KUALA LUMPUR, 29 Oct 2008: The Transport Ministry has not received any proposal for fare increase from rail operators, its Deputy Minister Datuk Lajim Ukin said.
He said the ministry was only empowered to revise the fare rates for rail transport services like the commuter, light rail service (LRT) and monorail.
“A revision of fare rates for bus service comes under the jurisdiction of the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board,” he said in reply to Chua Tian Chang (PKR-Batu) in the Dewan Rakyat here today.
Lajim said a new LRT route, stretching 42km from Kota Damansara to Cheras and expected to be ready in 2014, was expected to draw more than 300,000 passengers daily as well as reduce traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur.
“An additional route for LRT, stretching 30km for the Ampang and Kelana Jaya Rail Lines will benefit 2.6 million residents around Subang Jaya and Puchong,” he added.
He said the additional Kelana Jaya Line, which also involved the purchase of 35 sets of new trains costing RM1.3 billion, was expected to fully operational in early 2010.
“With these measures, the Kelana Jaya Line capacity will be increased by two-fold, from the current 160,000 passengers daily to 350,000 passengers a day,” he added. — Bernama
