KUALA LUMPUR: Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) CEO Datuk Shahril Mokhtar confirmed today, after holding a discussion for the second time with the Council of Eminent Persons, that the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line 3 project is shelved, for now.

"Yes, we have shelved it for now," he said when met outside IIham Tower, after meeting the council today (22 June).

Shahril also said he was instructed by the council to do a study to reduce the cost for the MRT Line 2 project.

"We discussed on ways to reduce the cost for the MRT Line 2. This was the main agenda in our meeting today and we are confident we are able to do it, and save the rakyat's money at the same time," he said.

Earlier this month, after his first meeting with the council, Shahril said the government's decision to slam the brakes on the MRT Line 3 project was not a mistake but stressed it still needed to be carried out later.

He pointed out that the project needed to be carried out in the future as the MRT Line 3 was "critical to close the loop".

"We abide by the government's decision (to discontinue the project) but we also acknowledge that the MRT Line 3 is critical to close all the loop.

"We hope that one day in the future, once the government's fiscal position gets better, the government will consider this.

"But (cancelling the project) is not a mistake, but it still needs to be done in the future" he had said.

The MRT Line 3 was supposed to be part of the MRT 1 (51km Sungai Buloh-Kajang) and MRT 2 (Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya) lines, in connecting the whole Klang Valley.

MRT Corp said the total cost for the MRT Line 2 (also known as the SSP Line) could be anywhere between RM35 billion and RM40 billion.

"We have not finalised the actual cost for the SSP Line but for construction alone, we have budgeted RM32 billion" Shahril Mokhtar told the Business Times then.

"With the project delivery partner and all, we expect the total cost to be between RM35 billion and RM40 billion" he said.

The 52.2km SSP Line will serve as a corridor to a population of around two million in Damansara Damai, Jalan Ipoh, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Tun Razak Exchange, Kuchai Lama, Seri Kembangan and Cyberjaya.

Phase 1 of the SSP Line will run from Kwasa Damansara to Kampung Batu, and comprise 12 stations. It is targeted for completion by July 2021.

Phase 2 is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022. It will have 11 underground stations and 26 elevated stations.