SHAH ALAM — The Sultan of Selangor today credited former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak with approving the Shah Alam LRT3 project at his request in 2015, said the subsequent Pakatan Harapan administration had reduced its scope, and praised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for restoring key elements of the project.

In a statement issued to mark the opening of the Shah Alam LRT3 line, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said the rail project was conceived to ease chronic traffic congestion faced by commuters travelling between Klang, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur.

“First and foremost, I would like to give credit to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for heeding my decree that a rail transport facility be built connecting Klang, Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur,” the Sultan said.

The Ruler said he first raised the proposal with Najib during a breaking-of-fast gathering at the former prime minister’s residence in 2015.

“I still remember informing Datuk Seri Najib Razak of this during a breaking-of-fast event at his house in 2015, and he accepted my proposal without hesitation,” he said.

The Sultan said the request followed numerous letters he had received from housewives describing how their husbands routinely returned home late because of heavy congestion, particularly along the Federal Highway.

He added that, at the time, Klang had only two bridges crossing the Klang River, worsening traffic bottlenecks during peak hours.