The Penang state government and MRT Corporation are exploring a low- to medium-capacity system for the Penang Mutiara Line light rail transit (LRT) project, Bernama has reported.
The procurement board of the transport ministry will select the type of LRT system based on passenger projections and the state’s needs, said state infrastructure transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari.
“When we talk about LRT, many people imagine an LRT [system] like the Kelana Jaya LRT line, which is a high-capacity medium which can accommodate 15,000 to 30,000 passengers per hour, one way, but this system is not suitable for Penang,” he said.
“We will not choose a system like the Kelana Jaya line, [as] it is too high-capacity for Penang. We will choose a scalable system where we can start with a frequency of approximately two-car trains so that when we want to add [capacity] in the future, we can put three-car trains or four-car trains,” Zairil said.
The detailed design for the construction of the LRT system actually takes into account the use of sufficient electricity resources, with each station being connected to a traction power substation (TPS) which will supply electricity to the train system later, he added.
In April, transport minister Anthony Loke said that construction of the Penang LRT project will begin in the fourth quarter of this year. The Penang LRT Mutiara Line project was taken over by the federal government, and is estimated to be complete by 2030.
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Yeah wait until the next Gomen comes in and potong your project by half like what DAP ministers did to MRT2 and LRT3 then lets see how you suffer when stations are not convenient for usage and this Penang LRT becomes a white elephant.
Are you suggesting that LRT is not necessary? Remember that even with the high ridership of LRT in the Klang Valley, the operator can hardly break even. Most of the time, they are running at a loss. Additionally, in Penang, the LRT will be travelling across the sea. How much will the ticket cost? Will the rest of the Malaysians subsidise the fare?
Just like public hospital, public transport isn’t meant for profit. Rakyat has the right to access to affordable healthcare and mobility.
Stoopid Penang minister to say that. KL LRTs did not have enough ridership when they started but look at how packed they get during peak hours & weekends until they had to add more coaches to their trainsets. If they want low ridership system, don’t expensive LRT go for cheaper monorail that only runs on 1 track. Mentri bodoh xtau kira!
Bazir duit tax payers money, just see which crony masuk pocket. if want to build use your state funds or state tax allocated funds. You collect from the whole of malaysia and then use most of those funds for something which serves a fraction of the population compared to KL where congestion is much more real. Per capita GDP for Penang kedah is low, so why the special treatment.
Because now DAP owns Penang and they now owns Federal Gomen too. Previously under BN their justification not strong enough to access Federal funding but now under PH Gomen, it is DAP team proposal, DAP team review, DAP team approve. Just like the DRT project to Asia Mobiliti.