Prasarana Malaysia Bhd expects between 5,000 and 10,000 passengers to use the newly launched LRT3 Shah Alam Line on its first day of operations, with daily ridership projected to gradually increase to 67,000 within its first year, Bernama reported.
Prasarana president and chief executive officer Amir Hamdan said the increase would depend on how quickly commuters become familiar with the new rail service, noting that new transit lines typically require time before reaching their full ridership potential.
“Today is the first day we are operating the Shah Alam Line, which began at 6am. Many users were excited to board the first train at their respective stations, with plenty of positive feedback and sharing on social media. Among them, they were excited to get to the office more comfortably without driving, while avoiding traffic congestion.
“Usually, a new line does not immediately reach its maximum level. We will observe its usage pattern as it develops over time,” he told reporters during a site visit at the Glenmarie 2 station on Monday.
Amir said operations had been running smoothly, with trains arriving every eight minutes during peak hours while station facilities remained under control.
He added that Prasarana would continue monitoring passenger flow, particularly at major interchange stations such as Glenmarie 2, which connects to the Kelana Jaya Line, and Bandar Utama, which links to the Kajang Line.
He said the operator was currently focusing on passenger experience, including the use of automatic platform doors, ticketing machines and station crowd movement. If demand increases, Prasarana is prepared to deploy additional trains, including standby trains during peak periods.
Amir said there were currently no plans to introduce women-only coaches, although the matter would be reviewed based on passenger usage and feedback.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday announced free rides on the LRT3 Shah Alam Line and its feeder bus services from today until July 31.
