Penang’s LRT plan: Key questions unanswered (Part 1)

Former state transport engineer calls for clarity on multibillion-ringgit project's viability and implementation

An unsightly large overhead light rail station in Kuala Lumpur

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By Lim Thean Heng

Public interest calls for good governance.

In the name of good governance and accountability, the following pertinent questions have remained unanswered since 2015 – almost 10 years!

It is time for the Ministry of Transport (MoT), MRT Corp and the Penang state government to come forward to provide clear clarifications to the questions below, which have been raised repeatedly.

Issue 1: Halcrow’s RM27bn Penang transport masterplan was officially adopted by the Penang state government in 2013. Elaborate studies were carried out with public participation. This was very different from SRS Consortium’s RM46bn “PTMP”, submitted in 2015.

Question: Why were no proper elaborate peer reviews and further studies done to ensure the best options were chosen, given the available new options with the latest technology?

Issue 2: Several red flags in the SRS PTMP were raised as seen in the flawed assumptions and projections for population and ridership used. These red flags have turned out to be true with the passage of time.

Question: Why have these flawed assumptions in the SRS PTMP still not been corrected with the necessary changes made?

Issue 3: Many have expressed concern about the dire long-term financial and economic implications of the Bayan Lepas-Komtar LRT line for the government and the public. These have been voiced out at past press conferences that looked at the capital cost, as well as the operations and maintenance expenditure under the SRS PTMP.

It is clear the failed projects-based method of implementing public transport schemes for the various transit lines in the Klang Valley is being repeated in Penang with this LRT line.

READ MORE:  Penang’s mega-transport plans: Where is the state going to find RM25bn?

Question: Why do we keep refusing to adopt the success stories of Singapore and Hong Kong despite sending many official delegations there over the years?

Issue 4: It is not rocket science that to solve Penang’s traffic congestion problems, the government needs to not only have a well-thought-out holistic masterplan that caters for all road users on both the mainland and the island. More importantly, it needs a committed timeframe in stages over the next 10 to 20 years.

Question: Halcrow did that for its transport masterplan covering the period from 2013 to 2030. Do we see such a timeframe commitment for the SRS PTMP for both the island and the mainland? If so, please show us Penangites!

Lim Thean Heng is a former Penang state transport engineer.

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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