PENANG TO GO AHEAD WITH LRT PROJECT
SPAD’s proposed tram system may worsen traffic woes, says CM
PENANG is adamant about going ahead with the proposed light rail transit (LRT) project despite the decommissioned Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) saying it may not be the best option for the state.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said SPAD’s proposed tram system was not suitable for the state, and might add to the worsening traffic congestion.
“We want to push ahead with the LRT project, which is a component of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
“We have made known our stand to Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook and SPAD during a meeting on Tuesday.
“At the meeting, we gave our reasons to SPAD why the tram is not suitable.
“They accepted it but raised technical issues, such as the depot, which will serve as the final station for the LRT project,” he said here yesterday.
Chow said SPAD suggested that the depot, which was initially planned on a manmade island on the reclaimed coastal area in Permatang Damar
Laut be moved inland, after the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.
“SPAD views that the depot needs to be moved since reclamation works have yet to begin and the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the project has not been approved.
“As such, we are doing the necessary changes and will submit the plan to SPAD within a month.”
During a working visit to the state earlier this month, Loke said findings from a study conducted by SPAD showed that the LRT project was not the best option for Penang.
However, he said he would consult with the state government on what it wanted.
Chow said it was not impossible for Penang to have the LRT system, and urged the people to be patient as the state government needed to fulfil legal provisions to get approval.
Penang is looking to implement the PTMP, of which the LRT, three paired roads, undersea tunnel, among others, are a part of a system to solve the worsening traffic congestion.
However, numerous quarters have reservations about the PTMP.