GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced significant updates to the Penang Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, confirming Penang Sentral's inclusion as a key alignment in the ambitious RM10 billion initiative, Buletin Mutiara reported.
Despite potential realignments, such as the extension of the line from Bayan Lepas to Tanjong Bungah rather than terminating at Komtar, the fundamental railway scheme has been principally agreed upon by the Federal Government and remains unaltered for the time being. The Bayan Lepas-Tanjong Bungah route is part of the project's first phase.
"We were informed that by sticking with the initial proposed scheme, the project can very likely kickstart faster, and if it happens otherwise, new and thorough research needs to be done again," Chow said after attending the DAP Chinese New Year Open House in Bukit Mertajam.
The proposed LRT route is anticipated to span several major locations, including Bayan Lepas, Komtar, Tanjong Bungah, Air Itam, Butterworth, Kepala Batas, and Simpang Ampat.
Chow expressed optimism that the proposed cross-channel link connecting Penang Island with the mainland would materialise, envisioned as an elevated railway system.
On May 6, 2023, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the Federal Government had agreed in principle to finance Penang's inaugural LRT venture, with the Mass Rail Transit Corporation appointed as the project manager.
Recently, MRT Corp delegates visited Penang to discuss updates on the LRT project.
"They informed us that the next step is to present a Cabinet paper with comprehensive details about the project to the relevant ministries, namely the Transport and Finance Ministries.
"The Cabinet paper will encompass details such as the depots and their locations, the proposed alignments, and many other technical studies that were discussed between the state government and MRT Corp," Chow said.