Will MRT3 raise shop rents in Kuchai, Old Klang Road and Sri Hartamas?

Not for years. MRT3, the Circle Line, is scheduled to be operational by 2032, and as of 14 November 2026 no main contract award had been found. Until then, ground-floor shop rents in Kuchai, Old Klang Road, Sri Hartamas and Cheras will be set by today's footfall, tenants and parking. Underground stations usually bring years of roadworks before they bring customers. Buy or rent for the trade a row has now, not for 2032.

Here is what has been reported:

As of 14 Nov 2026, our research found no MRT3 contract award. The line is about 51 km, orbital, with 10 interchange or connecting stations (The Edge).

Interim station names, according to the information site mrt.com.my (not the official MRT Corp page), include Sri Hartamas, Dutamas, Kuchai, Jalan Klang Lama, Taman Midah, Taman Cheras, Salak Selatan, Pantai Dalam and UM. These are proposed names and may change.

PropertySifu (Sep 2026) lists interchanges at:

• Kuchai, with the MRT Putrajaya Line
• Salak Selatan, with the LRT Sri Petaling Line and KTM
• Taman Midah, with the MRT Kajang Line
• Pandan Indah, with the LRT Ampang Line

There is no station named Mont Kiara and no Bukit Jalil stop. Be wary of adverts that claim one.

MCE analysis of recent portal adverts, Nov 2026: last 6 months, shop types only, bait and duplicate adverts removed, middle half of asking prices.

Solaris Dutamas and Publika had too few clean rent adverts to publish a figure. For Cheras Business Centre, we show the area-wide range above.

These rents already reflect each hub's own catchment. Sri Hartamas has a dense, high-income residential base. Kuchai and Taman OUG draw from large Chinese-majority neighbourhoods. None of that depends on a line that does not exist yet.

Possibly, for the right rows. Our post on shop near LRT/MRT vs shop near housing explains that stations help most when they add people to a row that already works, on a direct walking route. The same lesson applies to the new LRT3 Shah Alam Line, where it is still too early to see any rent effect even after opening.

What is clear is the order of events: land acquisition, contract award, years of construction, then trains. Between contract and opening, roads near underground station sites may be narrowed or diverted. For a shop that relies on drive-in customers, that can hurt trade before it helps.

Investor checklist:

• Price the shop on today's rent and today's vacancy, not on a 2032 story.
• Find out how close the proposed station box is, and whether access roads may be affected during construction.
• Check whether your unit or row is on land being acquired. Land acquisition notices are public.
• Assume the station names and locations can still change.
• Treat any uplift after opening as a bonus.

Landlord checklist:

• Do not push rents now on the strength of MRT3. Tenants can read the same timeline.
• If roadworks start near your row, expect tenants to ask for relief. Plan for it rather than lose a good tenant.
• Keep good tenants through the construction years. They are the ones who will benefit when the line opens.

No. Earlier talk of a first phase in 2028 and full opening in 2030 has been superseded. The current reported target is operation by 2032. Until a contract is awarded and work starts, treat even that date with caution.

Written by Tok Ginstee (REN 37505), CID Realtors Sdn Bhd (E (1) 1855). Updated November 2026.