'MRT fares to pay for bonds used to finance project' - Othman

The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, funded completely by government-guaranteed bonds, can be paid for with fares collected from its users, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Othman Aziz.

This, he said, was based on a feasibility study, he said during a question- and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat here today.

He said this in reply to a supplementary question by Dr Lee Boon Chye (PKR-Gopeng) who wanted to know whether the MRT project would generate enough revenue to pay for the bonds.

Othman said he was confident this would help the government's financial standing in the long run.

"Currently, the current average daily traffic on the Sungai Buloh-Semantan route was about 14,000 passengers and this is expected to increase to 40,000 once the Kajang route starts operations in July this year," he said.

He hoped that with this facility, the public transportation system would be used more often and hence increase the volume and capacity of the MRT service.

The cost for the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT project was estimated to be some RM21 billion, not surpassing the previous expected cost of RM23 billion.

On the second phase of the Semantan-Kajang MRT project which was expected to begin in July this year, Othman said, the project in the final stages, was almost 97 per cent completed, with interior designing, entrance structure, passenger walkway, landscaping and fixing of the mechanical system works being carried out.

"System inspection and commissioning works would be carried out soon," he said in reply to a question by Dr Ismail Daut (BN-Merbok) on the state and cost of the MRT project.

-- BERNAMA