The Penang government just confirmed that it will continue with the projects in PTMP Phase 1 – You can soon hop onto a train from Penang International Airport directly to KOMTAR or take the new highway to get to Gurney Drive in 15 minutes flat.
PTMP is an ambitious multi-billion ringgit project by the state government to address the worsening traffic congestion on Penang island. It includes an undersea tunnel, highways, LRT and monorail lines as well as an extensive bus service statewide.
With the projects in the first phase of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) now given the green light to proceed, the Pearl of the Orient is set to scale to greater heights. The official announcement was made at a state assembly held on 9 November 2018, during which concerns on the project’s social and environmental impacts were also addressed.
Jagdeep Singh Deo, Penang’s State Housing, Local Government, Town and Rural Development Committee chairman, assured that the state government would ensure all required studies, including the Social Impact Assessment (SIA), are conducted thoroughly before the projects are implemented.
Prior to the 14th Malaysian general election, it looked as though the project will never see the light of day as Penang was under the opposition state of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), while the federal government was run by Barisan Nasional (BN). However, now that its former Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is the current Finance Minister under the Pakatan Harapan government, the project is finally gaining traction.
Here are six interesting facts on the PTMP that you should take note of:
#1 PTMP is exempted from the mega-projects review
It is interesting to note that while other mega-projects such as the East Coast Railway Line (ECRL), High-Speed Rail (HSR), Forest City, MRT Circle Line and Light Rail Transit Line 3 (LRT3) were put under review by the new Pakatan Harapan government, PTMP is the only project that was exempted.
This is definitely good news for Penangites and for the property market as infrastructure projects like these will further boost property prices on the main island, especially in the Seberang Perai and Batu Kawan localities.
#2 Phase 1 to comprise an LRT line and several main highways
#3 Bayan Lepas LRT line to have 27 stations
The proposed Bayan Lepas LRT line will be about 30 km in length with 27 stations running from KOMTAR to the future reclaimed islands in the south.
The line will pass through important landmarks such as KOMTAR, Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone (FIZ) and the Penang International Airport as well as several established and planned residential townships and employment hubs in Jelutong, The Light, Gelugor, Batu Uban, SPICE in Bayan Baru, Sg Tiram and Batu Maung.
There will be three interchange stations – KOMTAR, Sky Cab Station linking to the Sky Cab line across the Malacca Straits and The Light Station linking to the George Town-Butterworth LRT line.
The LRT Line will also be integrated with the Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal at the Sungai Nibong Station.
#4 Pan Island Line 1 to have 6 interchanges
The six interchanges include LCE interchange, Awang interchange, Relau interchange, Paya Terubong Interchange, Utama Interchange and Gurney Interchange.
#5 A travel time of 15 minutes
#6 Toll-free roads
Good news for drivers as the 20km Pan Island Link 1 highway will be toll-free with limited points of access.
This is to ensure a smoother driving experience, speed consistency and faster travel time over the entire length of the highway.
The alignment along the mountainous terrain also avoids the possibility of congestions caused by future developments.
Funding for this project will come from the sale of reclaimed land owned by the Penang state government.