GEORGE TOWN — The Mutiara Line, Penang’s first light rail transit (LRT) project, is on track, with progress made in obtaining necessary approvals and in the land acquisition process, said project asset owner and developer MRT Corp.
The company said it has secured access to 86 plots of land to date, and the gazette under Section 8 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960, ahead of the initial target schedule of October this year.
“This progress forms a key milestone in keeping the project on track,” said the state-owned firm in a statement, which was issued in response to concerns regarding the project’s progress.
Other approvals obtained were regarding issued under Section 20A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, which were obtained last last Tuesday (April 15), it added.
While MRT Corp did not name the parties that had raised the concerns, the company’s statement follows remarks by MCA vice president and Penang MCA chief Datuk Tan Teik Cheng who questioned the apparent lack of physical progress in the project despite the groundbreaking ceremony on January 11.
Tan claimed that this had “seriously affected the government’s credibility” as the Notice to Proceed (NTP) is yet to be issued for the project, and called upon the Transport Minister Anthony Loke to provide clarification over the matter.
MRT Corp in its statement said the official NTP can only be issued to the main contractor, SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd (SRS) once it fulfils certain conditions.
“SRS Consortium, the appointed Civil Main Contractor for Package 1 of the project, has been working to fulfil several post-award conditions outlined in the contract.”
SRS Consortium, being the design and build Contractor for Package 1, will also need to finalise designs and construction drawings for the civil structure within the project scope after the issuance of the NTP.
It is also explained that the relocation of the utilities, which is another critical aspect of pre-construction, must be completed before any station or viaduct-related construction activity can take place.
“We would like to assure the public that the LRT Mutiara Line Project remains on track and on schedule. We appreciate the public’s continued support and understanding as we advance through this initial phase of project development,” added MRT Corp.
The RM13 billion Mutiara Line LRT project would connect Silicon Island, which is under reclamation at the southern coast of Penang island, all the way to Komtar tower in George Town, with 21 elevated stations built along the route on the island.
The Macallum station will house an interchange between routes connect both the Komtar station, and the Penang Sentral station in Butterworth in mainland through a 5.78km long cross-channel link. The link will be built at a height of 62m at its midspan to allow ships to pass under.
SRS Consortium was appointed by the state government as the Project Delivery Partner for the Penang Transport Master Plan, PTMP which was then estimated to cost RM27 billion. The consortium consists of Gamuda Bhd which is the majority shareholder (60% stake), Loh Phoy Yen Holdings and Ideal Property Development (40% stake).
The LRT project is slated for completion in 2031. – April 21, 2025