The land acquisition process for the construction of the Penang Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) has been progressing smoothly without any issues or disputes, said Chow Kon Yeow. The Chief Minister said that the land acquisition involves state-owned land, private properties, local authorities, and the Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
He said various meetings have been held between the state government, the Transport Ministry (MOT), the developer, and asset owner MRT Corp, along with several other involved parties. These meetings have been conducted over the past months to discuss several project details, including land acquisition, depots, and LRT stations. The state government has consistently collaborated with the Federal Government to ensure the smooth implementation of this project without any complications. Most recently, we have another meeting scheduled with MOT on Friday (Jan 3) to discuss a few more matters, he said during a press conference at Komtar on Thursday (Jan 2). Chow said in terms of land acquisition, the issue has been brought to the executive councillor meeting, where no rising problems or issues occurred from the matter. In March last year, the federal government approved a development proposal for Penang Mutiara Line LRT, which is expected to be completed by 2030. The planned LRT project has 21 stations, with 20 located on Penang Island and man-made Silicon Island, and one at Penang Sentral on the mainland. The federal government has decided to appoint MRT Corp, a company wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc), as the developer and asset owner for the project. Meanwhile Chow said the infrastructure work for the mega project might be carried out simultaneously with the expansion of the Penang International Airport (PIA) to minimise inconvenience to the public