Commuters using the LRT, MRT, BRT and Monorail services will enjoy a 50 percent discount on fares, starting tomorrow.

The discount will last until the 60th Merdeka Day celebrations on Aug 31.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced this while officiating Phase Two of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, heralding the completion of the first of three lines in the project.

This entails the opening of 19 additional stations along the route, which extends it by 30km. The new stations will be open to the public at 4pm today and would be free until the stations close for the day at midnight.

The launch ceremony was conducted at the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) station in Kuala Lumpur.

After the launch, Najib also rode the MRT to the Kajang Stadium, where festivities were also being held.

The launch today brings the the Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) line to its final total of 31 stations - including the TRX and Stadium Kajang stations - covering a 51km route.

Prior to this, the MRT service only extended 21km from Sungai Buloh to Semantan since it started operating in December last year.

Apart from the SBK line, the MRT project is also supposed to comprise the Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP) Line, and the MRT Circle Line, the latter of which would be entirely underground and cover the Kuala Lumpur city centre area. Construction works for the SSP Line have already started.

The entire project was estimated to cost RM40 billion back when it was conceptualised in 2010.

For the SBK Line, Najib said it was slated to cost RM23 billion, but its actual cost turned out to be RM21 billion.

Meanwhile in his speech, Najib repeated his joke that the opening of the full SBK line is the “real Kajang move”, taking a swipe at PKR’s botched attempt to place its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim on the path to become the Selangor menteri besar.

Najib said this was because the MRT project would bring a host of benefits to the people, and it was only the beginning of a slew of rail projects to come.

This includes the SSP Line, the LRT project from Bandar Utama to Johan Setia, the East Coast Rail Link, the High-Speed Rail to Singapore, and upgrades to the KTM and Monorail lines.

“We are seeing the shape of the future of Malaysia before our own eyes. I promise this is only the beginning.

“If the people of Malaysia gives us their confidence when the time comes, God willing, we will realise our dream of a modern, developed, and great Malaysia,” he said.

Among others, Najib said the SBK Line would reduce travel time between Sungai Bukit and Kajang to 88 minutes, compared to two-and-half hours by bus.

The fare for the trip is only RM6.40 by cash or RM5.50 by Touch n’ Go, compared with RM54 using ride-sharing services like Uber. This reduces the cost of living.

It would also generate 130,000 job opportunities, including 70,000 of them directly, he said.

The SBK Line would ease congestion by taking 160,000 cars off the road, which also reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 752,000 tonnes per year.

Once the all three MRT Lines are completed in 2027, the figure increases to 700,000 cars, and 33 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

By then, he said, Kuala Lumpur would enjoy a fully integrated public transport system.