GEORGE TOWN (June 24): The Penang government has chosen the best alignment for the Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, as proposed by Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp).

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government had written to the Ministry of Transport two weeks ago to confirm its agreement with the proposed alignment.

“We have chosen an alignment very similar to the original, with only slight differences. The alignment proposed by MRT Corp is the best for future connectivity with other routes.

“The alignment chosen by the state government starts from Silicon Island and connects Penang Sentral (mainland) to the Macallum area in George Town,” he told a press conference regarding the Penang Green International Conference and Expo 2024 (PGIGCE 2024) at his office in Komtar here on Monday.

On the progress of the project, Chow said all major decisions had been made, and it is now at the open tender stage.

On March 29, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook announced that the federal government had officially taken over the project from the state government, with MRT Corp appointed as the developer and asset owner.

The project procurement is divided into three main components: Civil construction for the Silicon Island to Komtar alignment (Segment 1), Civil construction for the Komtar to Penang Sentral alignment (Segment 2), and turnkey systems and rolling stocks on a build-maintain-transfer basis.

In other developments, Chow said the proposal to review the tax distribution system to return at least 20% of the tax revenue collected from Penang to the state could not be implemented at this time.

He said the feedback on the proposal was obtained through his recent meeting with Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

“The finance minister was frank, and said that there are currently fiscal constraints at the national level. He mentioned alternative mechanisms besides tax revenue redistribution, such as granting specific grants to the state,” Chow said.

Chow also said that during the meeting, Amir Hamzah informed him that the RM1.8 billion Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway project is now on the federal government’s main discussion list, and it is still unknown whether it will be carried out by the state or federal government.

The PGIGCE 2024, organised by the Penang Green Agency, will be held from Nov 16 to 17 at the Setia Spice Convention Centre near here.

It is a platform aimed at gathering key stakeholders, leaders and experts from around the world in four main areas, namely green technology, green finance, capacity building, and net-zero initiatives.

Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee