KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Shahril Mokhtar said the firm will work on reducing the cost for the MRT Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP) line.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Council of Eminent Persons, he said the corporation was tasked to find ways on lower the price of the project, which is over 24 per cent complete.

"We are working on something… we will have a chat on how to find ways to reduce the cost further for Line 2 (SSP).

"We exchanged ideas but the key is to reduce the cost so we could save the people’s money,” he told reporters when met at Ilham Tower today.

The first phase of MRT SSP, which cost RM32 billion, is expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2021 before its full completion in late 2022.

The SSP alignment will have a length of 52.2km, consisting of 38.7km of elevated tracks and 13.5km running through underground tunnels.

When asked on the future of the MRT3 Klang Valley line, Shahril said "it has been shelved for now.”

On May 30, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that the government is cancelling the proposed MRT3, which was planned to provide a loop line to integrate all public transport system in Klang Valley by 2025.

The project, spanning over 40 km, was initially scheduled to have 26 stations with 32km of its route built underground.