GEORGE TOWN: Construction of the Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, says Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim.
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Corp Sdn Bhd chief executive officer said before the construction can begin, the contractor needs to start a soil investigation along the LRT allignment.
"In the past, this type of soil investigation has already been done. So, the data is already there.
"It's not a new thing, but, it's possible that there are some situations or locations that the contractor needs to get fixed," he told reporters during the Mutiara Line LRT Hari Raya Aidilfitri Open House at The Top on Friday (April 25).
Mohd Zarif said the last soil investigation was done around 2018, and it has been quite a while.
He said the contractor needs to do another round of soil investigations in the area.
He said that once the soil investigation is completed, the contractor will be able to finalise the design, as it needs to take the soil conditions into account.
"Then, once the design is finalised, the first step is to assess whether there are any utilities at the site that need to be relocated," he said.
He said some of the utilities on the road reserve will need to be relocated first.
He said that during the construction phase, Penangites may start to notice activity, for example, in about six months, small machinery will be seen on-site working to relocate the utilities.
"However, for the big scale of construction, like the viaduct, I think you can see it taking shape by quarter four next year
"Next year is only 2026. With the target delivery date on Dec 31, 2031. we still have five years to go," he added.
He said it is normal that during the initial years, projects like the LRT line would follow an S-curve once it reaches a certain critical mass.
“It is not like a spike and therefore, you will see slow progress until sometime next year.
"And I would say the S-shape will come in after 2027, 2028, where you can actually see the slope of the curve.
"By the time we reach 2029, it is already at that top of the S curve and that brings us for another two years until the end of 2031," he said.
Mohd Zarif said MRT Corp was doing its best in order to expedite the project.
"Even though it has been only three months, you can see the progress has been quite substantial.
"For us to achieve what we have achieved so far is quite significant," he said.
