Penang's LRT

At long last, Penang will finally see its own Light Rail Transit (LRT) system after decades of waiting. The project has faced years of opposition from heritage conservationists and environmentalists, along with ambivalence from the federal government, but it is now scheduled for completion in 2031. By then, I shall be 77 years old, and I can’t help but wonder if I will ever have the chance to experience it.

The LRT line will cost approximately RM13 billion and will begin at Silicon Island, just off the Penang international airport, heading northwards to KOMTAR. It will feature 21 stations in total, including a cross-channel bridge that will connect the island to Butterworth. Construction of the bridge is set to begin in 2026, and it will span four kilometres from the Macallum station on the island to Penang Sentral in Butterworth. The midsection of the bridge will be elevated to 62 metres, allowing ships to pass beneath it.

The Macallum station will serve as the main interchange for passengers travelling between the island and Butterworth. Once completed, the LRT is projected to serve 60,000 passengers daily within its first three years, with numbers expected to rise to 168,000 passengers a day after 20 years of operation.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sungai Pinang station, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stressed the importance of the LRT in connecting the island with the mainland. Investors had demanded better infrastructure, he said, and this was why the federal government would fund the project. 

I, for one, have no objection to the LRT project, but I would have liked to see the revival of a tramway system within George Town’s inner city as well. After all, Penang once had its own trams until the early 1960s, and such a system could have complemented the LRT while preserving a nostalgic charm unique to the state.

Regardless, this long-awaited project promises to transform public transport in Penang. Yet, for someone like me, the long wait until 2031 feels bittersweet, leaving me to wonder if I’ll ever get to ride this long-overdue milestone in the state’s development.