C. Khor
Construction of the Mutiara Line LRT link to Penang Sentral is set to begin in 2027. The target for completion is December 2031. The link will run between Macallum on Penang Island and Penang Sentral in Seberang Perai.
Penang Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari gave the timeline on Wednesday. He replied in writing during the State Assembly sitting.
The timeline for the Mutiara Line
According to the Bernama report, construction is scheduled for the third quarter of 2027. That comes after the appointment of the main contractor for the Macallum to Penang Sentral alignment.
Preliminary works will come first. Afterwards, major works, including the Penang Strait bridge, follow. Overall, the mainland link is the heavy part of the job. Therefore, the bridge is the piece that joins the island to Seberang Perai.
MRT Corp is the implementing agency. As a result, it is evaluating the tender for the alignment. Zairil said the evaluation should be completed this month.
He was replying to Bagan Dalam assemblyman Kumaran Krishnan. Zairil said the alignment is targeted for completion by December 2031. As planned, that is in tandem with the section linking Silicon Island to Komtar.
What the link will include
The finalised alignment includes a 5.5km marine bridge across the Penang Strait. There are two main stations, at Macallum and Penang Sentral. So riders will be able to cross between the island and the mainland by rail.
In addition, Bagan Luar will be a provisional station. That leaves room for future expansion without redesigning the route.
Overall, the whole Mutiara Line spans about 29.67km. It has 20 stations plus two provisional stations. The project is described as the first integrated metro transit system in the northern region.
In practice, the line is expected to improve connectivity between the island and the mainland. Moreover, it should ease congestion and improve accessibility, according to the report.
Where the project stands
Preparations on the island are already under way. MRT Corp will build a depot and a station on the Sungai Nibong festival ground. As a result, Pesta Pulau Pinang is moving to Tasek Gelugor in Seberang Perai.
Separately, the 60th edition of the festival runs from 1 to 31 December. Even so, it is leaving Sungai Nibong after more than five decades.
Overall, the line has had a long road. In 2023, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government would give extra funds. The aim was to speed up the Penang LRT. Anwar said the earlier federal government had not provided enough funds for several years.
Meanwhile, the state ties the wider transport plan to the Silicon Island reclamation. The project remains controversial, so our explainer sets out the debate.
Still, the report gives no cost for the Macallum to Penang Sentral link. It also gives no ridership forecast. Likewise, the main contractor has not yet been named. Those details are not yet public in this report.
For now, the dates are the firm part. Construction is due to begin in 2027, and operations are expected to start in December 2031. The Mutiara Line timeline will be tested once the tender is awarded.
Navin Kumar Perianen
Amirull Salihing
Sashidaran Gunathevan
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