Penang LRT project specs come under federal purview, says Loke

GEORGE TOWN: Any decision on the specifications of the Penang light rail transport (LRT) will be made by the Transport Ministry as it is a Federal project, says Anthony Loke (pic).

The Transport Minister said that an announcement will be made once the specification is finalised.

"With all due respect, the state government has no locus standi to announce the specification," said Loke when asked to comment on the statement made by state transport and infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari in the recent state assembly that Penang is looking into a “low to medium capacity system” for the Penang LRT Mutiara Line project.

Loke was speaking at a press conference after opening the 57th Asean Senior Transport Officials Meeting here on Tuesday (June 11).

Zairil said the state will not choose a system that has a high capacity like Kelana Jaya LRT Line which can accommodate up to 30,000 passengers as it is not suitable for Penang.

He said the state will choose a scalable system, probably starting with two carriages.

The 29km LRT project comprises 20 stations, including two interchange stations at Komtar and Penang Sentral, with work beginning later this year.