The Penang Transport Master Plan, or PTMP for short, is a plan from the Penang state government that seeks to improve transportation across the whole of Penang.
Encompassing a monorail, Light Rail Transit (LRT), plus even a cable car line and an undersea tunnel, the entire Master Plan envisions more transportation methods to deal with Penang’s worsening traffic problems.
The main project delivery partner for the PTMP is the SRS Consortium, which consists of Gamuda Berhad (60%), Loh Phoy Yen Holdings Sdn Bhd (20%), and Ideal Property Development Sdn Bhd (20%).
How much will the Penang Transport Master Plan cost?
The entire project was expected to cost around RM27 billion when it was first proposed in 2015. However, that amount has since been revised to RM46 billion!
Now, apparently, that price tag doesn’t include the RM6.3 billion which is required for the three paired roads and undersea tunnel. THAT will be undertaken separately, by Zenith Consortium.
Introduced as a “comprehensive, efficient and well-connected transport strategy”, the Penang Transport Master Plan seeks to lay down a modern transport framework for Penang.
So, without further ado, let’s see what all the fuss is about.
What are the development plans under the Penang Transport Master Plan?
At a whopping projected cost of RM46 billion, one can expect much more than just a new highway or a new train line.
These are the developments which have been proposed for Phase 1:
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- Three highways: A major highway named Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1), and two shorter highways – Pan Island Link 2 (PIL2) and Pan Island Link 2a (PIL2a)
- Two LRT lines: Bayan Lepas LRT line and George Town-Butterworth LRT line
- Sky Cab station: This will connect George Town and Butterworth
- Three monorail lines: Ayer Hitam, Tanjung Tokong, and Raja Uda Bukit Mertajam
- A BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) line: Permatang Tinggi-Batu Kawan BRT line
- A heritage tram for the city centre
- A new road: Northern Coast Paired Road
- Two new interchanges: Butterworth-Kulim Expressway Interchange and Juru Interchange
- A 7.2km long undersea tunnel: This will link Gurney Drive, George Town to the Butterworth Outer Ring Road
Clearly, the Penang Transport Master Plan is a massive undertaking. Among all of these sub-projects, two will be rolled out soon in 2019 itself – the Bayan Lepas LRT and PIL 1:
1) Bayan Lepas LRT
Bayan Lepas LRT will have 27 stations and three interchanges – KOMTAR, Sky Cab Station, and The Light Station. The latter will link Bayan Lepas to George Town-Butterworth LRT line.
At a total length of 30km, the Bayan Lepas line will run from KOMTAR through several important landmarks like Penang International Airport, industrial hubs, and various residential townships.
2) PIL 1
PIL1 will be a 20km highway, to be built at an estimated cost of RM7.5 billion.
The highway’s main purpose will be to relieve traffic congestion on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE), and neighbouring arterials such as Pengkalan Weld, Jalan Masjid Negeri, Jalan Jelutong, and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah.
This highway will consist of the following six interchanges:
- LCE interchange
- Awang interchange
- Relau interchange
- Paya Terubong interchange
- Utama interchange
- Gurney interchange
The PIL 1 will also comprise 7.6km of viaduct sections, 1.8km of embankment sections, and 10.1km of tunnels.
Criticism with the Penang Transport Master Plan
As with any mega project, there are bound to be people who aren’t in favour for certain reasons.
While the Penang Transport Master Plan seeks to transform transportation in Penang, concerns have been raised, largely concerning the safety and adverse environmental effects.
1) Safety and pollution risks
Safety and pollution concerns have been highlighted with regard to construction works for the PIL 1’s tunnels. For example, drilling works for the tunnels would take place near the Air Itam dam’s fault lines.
There have been concerns about damages to the dam, which could potentially result in massive flooding (approximately 2.5 million litres of water could be released!).
Several non-government organizations (NGOs) have also questioned the effectiveness of the new highway in resolving traffic issues.
2) Environmental effects
In order to fund the PTMP, there are plans to build three new islands off Penang, and subsequently sell most of the land.
Referred to as the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) plan, the project will see the creation of three new islands totalling 1,800 acres, or about 3,600 football fields.
The PSR has received negative criticism, mainly because of the adverse effects that the land reclamation might have on the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities.
About 5,000 fishermen and their families will purportedly be impacted, with the disruption to the natural coast likely to affect Penang’s seafood supply.
To this, the Penang state government responded that more than half of the fishermen had previously agreed to the PSR.
So, it still remains to be seen if this mega project will be able to bring about the benefits it so claims, and whether it will have that much of a negative impact on the people and the environment. Speaking of which, why not play your part in conserving water and minimising any further impact on the environment?
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