KUALA LUMPUR: The government is pushing for the integration of the KTM Komuter and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) systems by the end of the year, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

"This is already in our plans, but KTM Komuter is operated by a different company

"We need to have in-depth discussions with the two parties to ensure that they can be integrated into a single system," he told reporters after officiating the Blossom Art Festival Malaysia 2017 Signature Wall at the Ampang Park LRT station.

Currently, passengers can choose to go to any MRT, Light Rail Transit (LRT) or monorail station under a single payment system, allowing seamless travel between these services.

Prasarana Malaysia Bhd is the operator of Malaysia's two LRT networks (Kelana Jaya Line & Ampang/Sri Petaling Line), the KL Monorail, Sunway-BRT and bus services in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuantan and Kamunting. In December 2016, Prasarana under its service brand RapidKL was also appointed as the official operator for the MRT service in the Klang Valley.

The KTM Komuter is operated by KTM Bhd.

"The systems they use are different. We hope the integration can be done as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of the year," said Liow, adding that KTMB's system had room for improvement.

The second phase of the 51km Mass Rapid Transit Sungai Buloh-Kajang SBK line was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Monday.