ONE of the longest Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) stations in the country would be upgraded soon with an allocation of RM30 million.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the upgrade at the Butterworth station were essential to integrate the services with others, such as Penang Sentral.
It is expected to resolve the issue of accessibility, particularly for senior citizens with specific walkways and improve the link to the cross-channel ferries and Penang Sentral.
Sentral is a one-stop centre for public transport in the northern region with services ranging from ride sharing to express buses, localise Rapid Penang bus and KTM, as well as the cross channel Penang ferries.
Eventually, it would also be the Prai link to the proposed Mutiara Light Rail Transit (LRT) line.
Later, Loke said that the mishap involving a KTM train in the pre-dawn hours of yesterday, was an isolated incident and it did not affect KTM's services.
Loke also revealed that the upgrades of the station, would make it one of the biggest KTM stations around.
In another development, the developer of Penang Sentral, MRCB Corporation Group managing director Datuk Imran Salim said that he has met the managing team of the proposed LRT line.
"We are in close discussions to ensure that the LRT link to Penang Sentral is seamless."
The hub in Butterworth is the starting point of the LRT link in Prai with proposed plans for it to expand to other districts such as Bukit Mertajam and Kepala Batas.
Imran also disclosed that MRCB is working with the ministry to improve the connectivity for vehicles and pedestrians to the adjacent KTM terminal, saying that it is good news for commuters. - November 9, 2025.
