Malaysians are in a quandary as they ponder the losses suffered by Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Corp Sdn Bhd because of the high capital expenditure costs to construct MRT1 (Kajang line) and MRT2 (Putrajaya line).

Many people are baffled as ridership on not only MRT lines but also the LRT is high as during peak hours these trains are packed like sardines for hours and ticket prices are not as cheap or low as claimed by the Transport Ministry.

The Transport Ministry, in response, stated that the purpose of MRT Corp is to support long term socio economic growth for the people and country and these public interest projects require massive funding.

The ministry stated that these projects were not supposed to be built to recoup their costs quickly over a short period of time and therefore the success of these public projects must not be solely viewed by its financial performance.

For instance, the ministry explained, the subsidised MY50 unlimited travel pass, aimed at increasing ridership among Malaysians in the Klang Valley since 2021, contributed to losses of RM 200 million per year.

MRT Corp suffered overall losses of RM57.624 billion since it was established in 2011 but ridership on MRT1 has risen to a daily average of 139,000 in 2022, 204,000 in 2023 and 239,000 as of May this year.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE