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Vacant car parks owned by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad along the newly launched Shah Alam LRT3 line are set to be redeveloped into high-density affordable housing and commercial lots
This initiative is part of a broader transit-oriented development (TOD) strategy designed to optimise land use around rail stations and boost train ridership by integrating living spaces directly with public transport infrastructure, according to the New Straits Times.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced the plan at the official launch of the Shah Alam LRT3 line at the Johan Setia station depot. He said the goal is to facilitate high-density living near transit hubs, allowing commuters to live within walking distance of their daily rail routes without needing additional transport.
The government has identified four stations with the largest parking footprints as the pilot phase for the redevelopment
These parking lots are located near the Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Johan Setia, Sri Andalas, and Kayu Ara stations.
At the Sri Andalas site, for example, the current open-air parking lot accommodates 500 vehicles. Loke said such large, flat spaces represent highly underutilised land, given the overall size of the plots. Rather than redeveloping every station along the line, the Ministry of Transport plans to fast-track selected sites where local housing demand is strongest, using them as a catalyst for future transit-adjacent projects.
Loke pointed out that a typical 600-bay surface car park benefits only a few hundred people while leaving the ground beneath it completely idle
To address this, the redevelopment projects will completely restructure the space.
Existing parking facilities will not be removed; instead, they will be incorporated into newly constructed basement levels. This shift would free up surface land for affordable housing and commercial units.
"If we just build a parking facility, the land is not optimised. Shifting parking into basement levels will free up the surface for housing and shops," Loke said.
While the land remains government-owned through Prasarana, the redevelopment will be carried out by the private sector
The government will not act as the developer but maintain oversight to ensure residential units remain affordable.
This push for TOD models follows a joint directive from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who instructed both the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance to expedite regulatory approvals for transit-oriented developments nationwide.
