GEORGE TOWN – The Penang government is beginning the process to identify interested and qualified companies for the development of the planned Bayan Lepas Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.
State Infrastructure and Transport Committee exco Zairil Khir Johari said the pre-qualification process is expected to be implemented in the second quarter of this year.
This will be followed by the request for proposal (RFP) process in the third quarter where the state will invite interested and experienced companies to submit their proposals.
“The state government will appoint the most qualified and suitable companies to implement this component. In addition to technical proposals, companies participating in the RFP are also required to propose financing models to implement the LRT,” he said.
Zairil (Tg Bunga-DAP) said this in his winding up speech at the state legislative assembly.
He was responding to a written question by A. Kumaresan (Batu Uban-PKR) on the status of the Bayan Lepas LRT project.
Kumaresan also inquired about the financing options to pay for the project and whether the project could be implemented according to the original plan.
Zairil said the state will continue to apply for allocations from the federal government through the third rolling plan in the 12th Malaysia Plan, in order to ensure the project would be successful, which would allow traffic congestion on the island to be overcome.
He said bidders may propose recoupment methods such as development rights, land swaps, advertising revenue and farebox income.
“The Bayan Lepas LRT project has received approval from technical agencies including the Environment Department and Plan Malaysia (Town and Country Planning Department),” he said.
Zairil said the Bayan Lepas LRT is one of the key components in the Penang Transport Master Plan. He added that the project is one of the long-term strategies to overcome the problem of traffic congestion in the state.
He said an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the LRT line above the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project site is currently in the process of submission to the Environment Department.
“This includes the LRT depot on Island A of PSR. This depot is the main component of the Bayan Lepas LRT. The Land Public Transport Agency will submit the final approval for the Bayan Lepas LRT Rail Scheme after the EIA approval is obtained,” he added.
He added that during a public exhibition of the PSR project held from August to November 2019, the LRT component received the support of 97.7% of the 22,678 respondents who gave feedback.
“Therefore, the state government remains committed to the successful implementation of this component to ensure the well-being of the people of Penang in the future,” he said. – The Vibes, June 3, 2022
