Transport minister Anthony Loke has said the government will not consider building light rail transit (LRT) or mass rapid transit (MRT) lines from the mainland to Langkawi, reports FMT.
Winding up the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan, or Rancangan Malaysia Ketiga Belas (RMK13) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Loke pointed out it “does not make sense” to build a train line from Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis to Langkawi, which involves distances of around 50 km and 30 km respectively.
“That would definitely require massive expenditures,” he said, adding that the government will instead focus on upgrading the facilities at the jetties located in Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis. “We have other proposals to increase connectivity between Langkawi and both Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis. Among others, we are studying the introduction of more modern and comfortable ferries,” he noted.
Loke’s statement comes after Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi) again proposed the construction of LRT or MRT lines to Langkawi in the Dewan Rakyat last week. Loke has previously rejected an earlier proposal in 2023, saying at the time that building such lines across the sea would be difficult.
He added that the transport ministry had not yet received a proposal from the Kedah government to build an LRT line in Langkawi, although the state government announced such plans a year later. However, a recent report by Utusan reveals Kedah’s plans to build a maglev LRT system in Langkawi will not proceed.
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