GEORGE TOWN: The Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Penang will commence physical construction within the next two months, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
"We have now resolved all issues related to the Penang LRT project.
"This includes discussions between the Transport Ministry and the state government.
"I have personally chaired a meeting with the Penang Chief Minister at the Transport Ministry last month," he said after inspecting the Rapid Penang On-Demand (ROD) service here on Tuesday (June 10).
The 29.5km Mutiara Line LRT project, with its 21 stations, connects the island and mainland of Penang.
Loke stated that the issues resolved included obtaining consent letters from the state government and addressing technical problems.
He said that the main contractor for the project has already assigned preliminary work to the subcontractors involved, in readiness for on-site activities.
"We can expect to see physical works begin in the next one or two months," he said.
Meanwhile, since its introduction in phases from August 2024 to May 2025, the ROD service has been operating with 50 vans, covering 13 zones in Penang: seven zones on the island and six zones in Seberang Perai.
The average number of daily passengers on weekdays has increased since the addition of zones, which began in March 2025, with an average of 492 passengers per day compared to 159 passengers in February.
With an average daily ridership exceeding the target of 1,944 in May, it has contributed approximately 4.1% of the total daily average of 47,000 passengers using Rapid Penang services.
Loke
The Gurney-Tanjong Bungah route was the most popular, with 522 passengers daily.
