The first Sungai Buloh-Kajang My Rapid Transit (MRT) line is on track for completion as scheduled by June 2017.

With seven percent of the tracks completed to date, Mass Rapid Transit Corp Bhd (MRT Corp) chief executive officer Azhar Abdul Hamid said the progress curve was going to be steep, going forward.

“It is important for us to deliver this project on time within the stipulated cost. We can’t afford any failure.

“The balance of 18 packages for Line 1 is expected to be fully awarded by the first quarter of next year,” he told reporters after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MRT Corp and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) today.

The MoU was signed by Azhar, on behalf of MRT Corp, while CIDB was represented by its chief executive officer Dr Judin Abdul Karim.

Under the MoU, CIDB will provide safety induction training for some 12,000 MRT project personnel, as well as, assess the project’s adherence to safety and health requirements.

CIDB will also provide training in trades relevant to the MRT project requirements and accredit construction personnel working on the project.

Meanwhile, on the second and third lines of the MRT project which have yet to be announced, Azhar said: “I’m guessing that the Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) will call for a meeting soon and have some preliminary discussion as how we should progress.”

The rollout of the second and third lines, expected to be announced by year-end, is currently under feasibility study by Spad.

The Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT, covering 51 kilometres, will run through the city centre and is made up of two phases.

The first phase, from Sungai Buloh to Semantan, is expected to be operational by December 2016.

- Bernama