Latest news with #SRSConsortium
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Still no green light for LRT construction work in Penang
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government is still awaiting the Notice to Proceed or official notice to commence physical work on the Mutiara Line light rail transit project. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said, although the official notice from the Transport Ministry has yet to be issued, several preliminary works had already been carried out on site, including soil investigations, land acquisition and compensation negotiations with the involved landowners. "The official notice is important to enable full-scale physical construction works according to the planned schedule and plans. "At the moment, we are still waiting for official instructions from the ministry and MRT Corp," he said after officiating the Penang Transport Day 2025 here today. The 29.5km Mutiara Line LRT includes 21 strategic stations and designed to enhance connectivity between Penang island and the mainland, thereby reducing road congestion and improving accessibility. The main route plan covers the route from Penang Silicon Island to Penang Sentral and the Komtar station in George Town, with train services scheduled to operate alternately along the route. Chow said the state government has fulfilled its responsibilities by fully handing over the roles related to the LRT project to MRT Corp and releasing SRS Consortium from its previous role as the party that applied for the LRT implementation before. "The state government's relationship with SRS is now within the context of the other Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) projects, but for the LRT project, it has been taken over by MRT. "So now the main responsibility lies with the federal government to issue the notice," he added. Asked on the expected date for the issuance of the Notice to Proceed, Chow said the preliminary information received earlier stated it would be issued within a month or two. "Last month, I mentioned one or two months, so the second month is this month. Hopefully, it will really be issued this month," he said. Meanwhile, Chow said, as experienced in the LRT construction project in Kuala Lumpur, it was important for contractors to ensure that any road space taken in the course of construction, is replaced with road widening on the shoulders or side areas to maintain the existing number of lanes. "In Bandar Baru Air Itam, for example, the area used for road construction was replaced by taking land on the sides to ensure the two-lane route remains functional," he said. He added that, currently, the state government has no plans to impose any congestion charges because the priority now is to ensure smooth project implementation and traffic management throughout the construction period.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Penang still waiting for green light from Transport Ministry for LRT project, says chief minister
GEORGE TOWN, July 1 — The Penang state government is still awaiting the official notice to proceed from the Transport Ministry and MRT Corporation (MRTC) before physical work can begin on the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Mutiara Line project. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state hopes to receive the notice this month. 'Last month, I mentioned one or two months, so this month would be the second. We really hope it can be issued this month,' he said after officiating Penang Transportation Day at Komtar today. He said the notice is crucial to enable SRS Consortium to commence full-scale construction works according to the planned timeline. However, he noted that some preliminary work has already begun on-site, including soil investigation, land acquisition, and compensation for affected landowners. He said the state government has fulfilled its responsibility by handing over all roles related to the LRT project to MRTC. He added that SRS Consortium has also been released from its previous role as the original applicant for the project's implementation. 'The state's relationship with SRS now is only in the context of other components under the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), but for the LRT project, it has been taken over by MRTC,' he said. He said the main responsibility for the project now lies with the federal government, particularly in issuing the notice to proceed. On traffic management during the LRT construction phase, Chow said it will involve occupying parts of existing roads. 'It is important for contractors to ensure that any occupied road space is replaced by widening the road or using wide areas to maintain the same number of lanes,' he said. He cited the highway construction in Bandar Baru Air Itam, where land adjacent to the site was acquired to ensure two-lane traffic could continue to operate smoothly. Asked about the possibility of congestion charges in Penang, Chow said there are no plans for this at the moment. He acknowledged it may be listed in the PTMP as a potential strategy to address traffic congestion, but the state has yet to consider implementing it. The RM10.5 billion LRT line spans 29.5km, with 21 stations connecting the island's south to the northeast and linking the island to the mainland.
