GEORGE TOWN, Nov 19 – The LRT project in Penang will significantly reduce traffic congestion in the state, state exco Zairil Khir Johari told the state legislative assembly today.
The state infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman said the LRT has high passenger capacity and can carry tens of thousands of users per hour.
“This directly reduces the number of private vehicles on the road and, in turn, lowers daily congestion, especially along the George Town–Bayan Lepas corridor,” he said in reply to an oral question by Kebun Bunga assemblyman Lee Boon Heng today.
He added that the LRT provides consistent and predictable travel times as it operates on a dedicated alignment and is unaffected by congestion or flooding.
“From an economic perspective, the LRT is an important catalyst for the state’s growth and competitiveness,” he said.
Zairil said it will support the development of the industrial, services and high-tech sectors by providing stable mobility access for workers, investors and visitors.
“Strong rail infrastructure is fundamental to ensuring Penang remains regionally competitive,” he said.
On the environmental front, he said the LRT will reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, and with more people switching to public transport, overall energy use and the state’s carbon footprint can be significantly lowered.
He added that the LRT is designed to integrate with public bus services such as Rapid Penang, CAT Bridge and George Town buses, feeder buses, park-and-ride facilities, as well as pedestrian and cycling routes.
On measures to mitigate congestion during LRT construction, he said traffic disruptions are expected due to road diversions, partial lane closures and heavy construction along high-traffic corridors.
A traffic management plan (TMP) has been prepared by project owner MRT Corp (MRTC) to ensure smoother traffic flow during construction works.
“The TMP will include lane reductions and route diversions along major roads involved in the construction of elevated viaducts and stations, such as Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Jalan Tengah and Magazine Road,” he said.
Efforts to ease congestion during construction include continuous traffic monitoring using drones, phased implementation of free-flow traffic, new U-turns and one-way traffic systems in hotspot areas, construction with heavy vehicles outside peak hours, and encouraging the use of public transport.
