Penang prefers LRT but is open to other rail types

Published by Free Malaysia Today • 13/09/2022

State executive councillor for infrastructure and transport Zairil Khir Johari said Penang’s insistence
on LRT was due to its reliability and availability of parts.

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government prefers the RM9.5 billion light rail transit (LRT) system for the island, but is open to other systems in the wake of calls to scrap the project altogether.

State executive councillor for infrastructure and transport Zairil Khir Johari said Penang’s insistence on LRT, as opposed to other systems such as the newer autonomous rail transit (ART), was due to its reliability and availability of parts.

Briefing the media on the Penang South Islands project, he said the ART, which was a hybrid between a bus and a tram, was in its infancy while the LRT had a proven track record. The ART system is being pushed by civil society groups as a cheaper alternative.

Transport expert Rosli Azad Khan, in a recent column in FMT, argued that the LRT would not serve its purpose and was more expensive compared with ART.

Zairil said: “LRT remains cost-efficient and there are many LRT vendors, and it’s a risk worth taking. ART, on the other hand, is proprietary and new. But we remain open to considering different systems, including through our request for proposal (RfP) put out recently.

“The RfP factors in the financing model, with interested parties to come up with a way to fund the LRT project.”

The pre-qualification for the RfP will end on Oct 7, with more than 40 Malaysian and foreign firms showing interest in the project.

Zairil said the LRT project would be fully financed by private parties, as opposed to funds coming from the lease on the Penang South Islands project.

“We have to find creative ways, such as land swaps, to pay in kind for infrastructure projects,” he said.

Previously, it was reported that Penang was seeking private financiers since there has been no favourable response from the federal government to fund the LRT line.

Penang requested federal funds under the 12th Malaysia Plan as public transport projects are funded by Putrajaya, but has yet to receive a reply