KUALA LUMPUR: The government has extended the tenure of Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar by another two years till Dec 31, 2018.

Shahril has served in his current position since Jan 1, 2015. Prior to that, he was group managing director of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd.

In a statement yesterday, MRT Corp chairman Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said the government had decided that Shahril’s continued leadership of the company is needed to see both phases of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line  (SBK Line) become operational in December this year and July next year respectively.

Ali, who is also chief secretary to the government, added that the construction of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line (SSP Line) would be picking up speed over the next few years and Shahril’s experience would augur well to ensure that the challenges faced by the initial stages of construction would be overcome. The ground-breaking for the SSP Line is slated for the end of this month.

MRT Corp is fully owned by Minister of Finance Inc, and is the developer and owner of the Klang Valley MRT project.