KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — Phase two of the Mass Rapid Transit Putrajaya Line (MRT2) will begin operating on March 16, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced today.

He said he was briefed by this evening by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD), Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) and Mass Rapid Transit Corporation that all tests and examinations have gone well.

"MRT2 will begin operating on March 16, approximately two weeks from now,” he said during an interview on Bernama TV tonight.

He had inspected the service along with his officers two or three weeks ago, he added.

"We have been preparing for this for a long time,” he said.

The MRT2 is the second Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Malaysia, and the third fully automated and driverless rail system in the region.

It spans 57.7km in length with a total of 36 stations.

The line stretches from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya and runs through densely populated areas such as Sri Damansara, Kepong, Batu, Jalan Ipoh, Sentul, Kampung Baru, Jalan Tun Razak, KLCC, Tun Razak Exchange, Kuchai Lama, Seri Kembangan, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya.

Phase one began operations in June last year.