Ampang Park explanation 2.o

 It is true that the government intended to build a train station, but however, the original intention was not to build a park there, but to try to preserve the Ampang Park Shopping Complex. The reason the mall was to be demolished was due to concerns from MRT Corp and the government that the construction process of the MRT station would destabilize the foundations of the mall as it was built using concrete plates instead of concrete piles as foundation. The concrete plates method has since been ditched for favor of much more stronger technology like piling as the former constitutes stability concerns. So, the government had to acquire Ampang Park Shopping Complex for safety reasons; to allow the MRT engineers to build a linkway between the LRT and MRT stations, which will pass through the mall's footprints. The MRT station was built at a carpark behind the mall, while the LRT station was sited underneath Jalan Ampang. The linkway was planned to have multiple escalators and stairs just like the one linking Pasar Seni's LRT and MRT stations, except it will be built fully underground unlike the one at Pasar Seni. So the plans put the engineering challenges in a difficult position. Demolishing the mall would allow for the said linkway to be built.

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When the Ampang Park storeowners met with MRT Corp, the discussions resulted in a revised design to preserve the mall. The linkway was to curve right towards the side of the mall, affecting a driveway and around 10 shops to minimize the impact to the building. However, MRT Corp still needed to acquire those shoplots for construction. The MRT officials said that in this revised plan, the engineers will strengthen the mall to allow for mined tunnel construction to create the LRT-MRT link. This would be an inconvenient detour but still preserved the legacy of the mall. In fact, MRT Corp wanted this interchange to benefit the shopowners. But because the owners, according to Datuk Najmuddin Abdullah, the former CEO of MRT Corp, in a press conference, did not want the acquisition, MRT Corp had to acquire the mall. This led to the shopowners filing a court case against MRT Corp. The court ruled in favor of MRT Corp, resulting in the demolishment of the mall for the construction process. However, the linkway was cancelled as part of cost reduction efforts by the government following the 2018 General Election. The park was built after the construction of the station to prevent site vacancy.