Rafizi wrong again about cost of MRT1 line, says Barisan team

PETALING JAYA: PKR MP Rafizi Ramli has gotten it all wrong again when he claimed that the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT1) was double the price of similar projects in Spain and South Korea, said Barisan Nasional’s strategic communications team.

The team, in a statement, noted that Rafizi had claimed on Tuesday that while MRT1 cost US$103mil per kilometre, the Seoul Line 9 MRT project only cost US$ 43mil (RM192.73mil) per kilometre.

Rafizi had also alleged that the Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera MRT project only cost US$39mil (RM174.80mil) per kilometre.

Dispelling his claims, the statement said the Korean Development Institute had in fact put the cost for the Seoul Line 9 MRT project at US$152mil (RM681.26mil) per kilometre.

Another source stated that the Seoul Metropolitan Government gave its average construction cost for its various MRT lines built at different points in time as US$105mil (RM475.09mil) per kilometre, the statement added.

“Certainly both figures are very different from YB Rafizi’s claim of US$43mil per kilometre.”

The statement said Rafizi appeared to have taken his information from an anonymous blog called “Pedestrian Observations”.

The blog listed various construction costs of MRT systems globally – many of which are higher on a per km basis than the MRT1 project.

The statement noted that even the anonymous blog itself had warned its readers not to rely on its data “as large errors crop up”.

“Unfortunately, YB Rafizi ignored this warning and used this information in a press conference in yet another failed attempt to accuse the Government,” it added.

The statement said the Singapore government had reported that its Downtown line cost S$20.7bil for 42km or US$340mil (RM1.52bil) per kilometre.

“Rafizi will realize that he had made yet another mistake if he were to make comparisons with transit projects closer to home.”

The LRT project from Komtar to the Penang airport, the statement pointed out, was reported to cost RM257.14mil per kilometre, or US$64mil per kilometre.

“If YB Rafizi still believes that the higher capacity underground Seoul MRT project cost US$43mil per kilometre, he should question the Penang Government why its smaller-capacity above-ground LRT project cost 50% more at US$64mil per kilometre.”

The statement said Rafizi had also incorrectly alleged that the Government would finance the full construction cost of the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX).

It was pointed out to him that it was private investors who funded the development of their own individual projects on the TRX plots, while the Government would bear the infrastructure cost only.

“YB Rafizi is advised yet again to stop making unfounded and erroneous accusations to avoid further embarrassment,” said the statement.