‘Proposed secondary LRT depot shift land-efficient but needs solid design’
PETALING JAYA: Plenty of feedback has come in since the revised Penang LRT Railway Scheme went on public display, especially on the proposed cross-channel link between the island and the mainland.
Interestingly, one contractor bidding for part of the project is proposing that the light maintenance depot at Sungai Dua, to be built on part of the former Pesta site, be shifted to the sea-facing frontage of Penang Sentral.
Train maintenance is normally done during off-service hours and such work can be noisy.
On top of that, train wheels may screech when braking or going around rail curves in and out of the depot, which could annoy some residents as sound is more noticeable during the quieter evening hours.
“This is a very real possibility, considering that the Sungai Dua site will eventually see more housing developments, among others,” said the contractor’s representative.
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The contractor declined to be identified, citing a non-disclosure agreement with the LRT project owner, Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp), a special purpose vehicle wholly owned by MoF Incorporated.
Another railway specialist not involved in the project said having depots at both ends of the line (at Silicon Island and Penang Sentral) would improve operational efficiency, as trains from the Penang Sentral depot can be quickly deployed across the network from either end.
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“This also caters to future growth should the LRT network grow to the northern side of the island beyond George Town as well as the surrounding areas surrounding Butterworth.
“Then, having a major depot at Penang Sentral makes sense when it comes to future-proofing the network,” said the practitioner, who also declined to be named due to the sensitivity of his current posting.
He added that not having a train depot also allows higher-value developments in the vicinity, further optimising limited land on the island side.
Another construction company that has also signed a non-disclosure agreement with MRT Corp said having a depot at the Pesta site was never optimal.
“Having depots at both ends makes more sense, and this is proven in the Kajang (MRT1) and Putrajaya (MRT2) lines in Klang Valley,” said the company’s spokesperson.
Yuslizar Daud, the former head of the Land Public Transport Commission’s Rail Division, was more ambivalent about the proposed site for the secondary depot, stressing that the depot’s layout is just as critical.
“Efficient and future-proof design must be there, such as the entry and exit points, operational loop, location of the workshop, heavy and light maintenance halls and warehousing.
“The client must also specify from the outset the core requirements such as reliability, availability, maintainability and safety indicators so that these are incorporated in the design of the network,” Yuslizar said.
He added that having the second depot at Penang Sentral would be a strategic move if all of the above were addressed from the onset.
Yuslizar and the other railway systems expert also concurred that having maintenance depots at both ends of the Mutiara Line would greatly reduce the risk of severe disruptions, such as the year-long closure of six stations on the Ampang Line in Kuala Lumpur that began in January 2023.
That incident left several trainsets trapped at one end, with some having to be eventually suspended from service as they could not return to the depot for scheduled maintenance.
On moving the secondary LRT depot to the mainland, The Star understands that at least one consortium has put forth a proposal that not only shifts the Sungai Dua depot to Penang Sentral but also combines the Penang Sentral depot with the Penang Sentral LRT station, integrating it with Penang Sentral to create a sizeable, publicly accessible seafront for Butterworth.
Penang Sentral is a facility that is owned and operated by Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd, which is also a bidder for some of the Mutiara Line work packages, and has transit-oriented development plans for its Penang Sentral site.
However, the proponent of the Butterworth waterfront train infrastructure project plans to utilise land owned by the Penang Port Commission (PPC), especially the infrastructure serving the current passenger ferry service as well as portions serving the adjacent deep water port.
The Star understands that representations had been made by the proponent of this concept to MRT Corp and PPC and that the proposal is now awaiting a date for presentation to the Transport Minister.
