PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is set to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony for the Mutiara light rail transit (LRT) project in Penang later today.
The project which took over a decade to realise after undergoing various obstacles from political to environmental and financial, is now undertaken by the government-linked company - the MRT Corp Bhd.
MRT operates the nation's other LRT project at the Klang Valley and it is regarded as a reputable public transport operator.
Anwar will arrive later at Bandar Sri Pinang - a reclaimed township to officiate the ceremony.
He will be accompanied by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, the DAP secretary-general, and Chow Kon Yeow, the Penang Chief Minister for the event.
The project is seen as controversial, as the state's civil societies under Penang Forum have opposed it on grounds of threat to the island's fragile ecology and low ridership since Penang's population base is only around 1.7 million.
Nonetheless, Chow has argued for the past three years that the LRT is a strategic project, aimed at encouraging more people to use public transport rather than drive.
The 28 km Mutiara line will snake from Komtar in George Town through Bandar Sri Pinang to the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas.
It will also have an important line from Weld Quay, across the Penang Channel to connect to Penang Sentral in Butterworth.
Penang Sentral is the regional public transport dispersal system with connecting links to the express bus and KTM ETS rail system services.
Costing over RM10.5 billion, it will have 20 stations and two interchange sites in Komtar and Penang Sentral.
It is expected to be completed by 2030 and it will also become the first LRT to operate on a newly reclaimed island called Silicon Island, which is off Batu Maung.
Anwar will also visit SJK (C) Jit Sin in Bukit Mertajam, near Cherok Tekun in Permatang Pauh, where he was born and raised before opening the expansion wing of the KPJ Penang Specialist Hospital.
He would also have a community reach-out programme before heading back to Putrajaya.
Anwar has been visiting Penang regularly, sparking speculations that he may return back to his home town to contest a parliamentary seat in the next general election. - January 11, 2025.
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