Details of Penang LRT project to go on public display for feedback

GEORGE TOWN, April 17 — The Penang government will follow due process and put up a public display of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project for feedback before construction begins, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.

He said the state will have to adhere to the requirements of having a public display for three months to gather feedback from stakeholders and the public.

“We will need to submit the input from stakeholders’ engagement to the APAD for final decision with regards to the alignment and location of the station,” he told a press conference at his office.

APAD stands for the Land Public Transport Agency.

Chow was clarifying a Bernama report in which he was quoted saying that the RM8 billion project will start construction next year.

Chow said there is still substantial work to be done even after the state obtained conditional approval for the project.

“The conditional approval is for us to work harder to confirm the final details of the project,” he said.

He said he is still hoping to get conditional approval for the proposed LRT project from the federal government soon.

According to Bernama, the APAD visited Penang recently to view the proposed rail line alignment and suitability of locations for the train stations.

The LRT is a component of the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan.

The rail line was estimated to cover 29.5km and will have 27 stations linking the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas with Komtar in George Town.

Earlier, Chow announced the second edition of the “Penang LRT Hunt 2019” to create awareness among the public on the LRT project.

Chow said the first hunt was held in 2017 and this is the second time it will be held to increase public awareness on the project and the stations located at Komtar, Macallum Street, Bandar Sri Pinang, East Jelutong, Gelugor, Batu Uban, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Sungai Nibong, Bukit Jambul, Bayan Baru and Jalan Tengah.

The hunt, organised by the state government in collaboration with the Penang Island City Council, will be held on July 27 from 6.30am to 1.30pm.

The event is open to 400 participants or 100 teams with a maximum of four participants per team.

“Themed #YesToPTMP, the event will see participants walk, cycle and ride various public transport from Komtar to Jalan Tengah to reach several designated checkpoints and they will go through 14 proposed LRT stations,” he said.

He said participants will be taken through the alignment of all the LRT stations and they will be walking and cycling during the hunt.