LRT extension jobs to be awarded soon

KUALA LUMPUR:  The government is expected to award the jobs for the long-awaited light rail transit (LRT) extension project soon, and successful bidders have been short-listed, sources said.

According to a source familiar with the matter, parties that had lobbied for the LRT extension jobs for the Ampang and Kelana Jaya lines include UEM Group, IJM Corp Bhd, Bina Puri Holdings Bhd and TRC Synergies Bhd.

The contracts to be awarded will be for the building of LRT stations, laying groundwork and alignment before constructing the railway. The total extension length of the Kelana Jaya line is 17km and for the Ampang line 17.7km. Both extensions will see an additional 13 stations each.

It is learnt that Bina Puri is in the forefront to win the LRT extension job for the Ampang line worth about RM600 million.

Bina Puri has won several jobs of late, including the construction of a RM9 million hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and more significantly, the RM997 million contract to develop the main buildings at the proposed new low-cost carrier terminal in Sepang.

Bina Puri will develop a portion of the LCCT via a joint venture with UEM Construction Sdn Bhd, a unit of the UEM Group.

Meanwhile, TRC is tipped to bag the main contract for the Kelana Jaya line extension, estimated to be worth between RM900 million and RM1 billion, a source said.

"UEM Builders Intria Bina Sdn Bhd (UEM Builders), a wholly-owned unit of the UEM Group, is believed to be eyeing the job as well, but is not likely to get it," the source said.

UEM Builders is wholly-owned by UEM Group, which in turn is wholly-owned by government investment arm Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Both TRC Synergy and UEM Builders are understood to be in the last lap of bagging the contract, but sources said Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, which is in charge of the country's strategic planning for public transport, had recommended TRC Synergy to the Ministry of Finance to be the main contractor for the LRT extension project.

Despite Prasarana's preference for TRC, it is said that UEM Builders was lobbying hard for the job.

The LRT extension is one of the government's major infrastructure projects under the Economic Transformation Programme. The proposed Kelana Jaya LRT line extension will commence from Lembah Subang-Kelana Business Centre, through Subang, USJ, Alam Megah and end at the hub in Putra Heights.

Meanwhile, the proposed Ampang LRT extension line will commence from the present Sri Petaling station, pass through Puchong, Kinrara and end at the hub in Putra Heights.

It is believed that construction on the extensions is slated to commence by the end of this year.

The first phase, or Package A, of both Kelana Jaya and Ampang lines will see 9.2km and 7.39km of construction length respectively.