‘Penang LRT’: Be careful what you wish for!

By Chuah Chong Lai

SRS Consortium’s proposal for an elevated “light rail transit” line in phase one of its so-called “Penang Transport Master Plan” will not resolve Penang’s traffic nightmares.

The cost for just a single line could exceed RM10bn!

The estimated cost keeps rising: from RM4.5bn in 2015 for a 17.5km line, to RM7.4bn in 2017 for a 24km line, to over RM10bn in 2019 (for how many kilometres now?).

What will the estimate cost be in 2030? RM15bn or more?

Imagine, the 22km line from Komtar to the airport in the initial phase could take 10 years* to complete. [A later phase was supposed to extend the line from the airport to cover the three proposed artificial islands to make it a total length of 30km.]

During the construction period, traffic flow in eastern and southeast Penang Island will be severely affected.

Once the line is completed, where is Penang to find the money for the annual operations and maintenance cost of RM170m-RM300m*. Forget about repaying the capital cost of RM10bn!

The minute the federal government does not help with footing the bill for the operations and maintenance, Penang might have to abandon this overhead ‘light rail’ line or go bust. Even without this ‘light rail’, Penang is projecting a deficit of RM467m for its 2023 state budget.

This means any time the state and the federal governments are not from the same coalition, there is a distinct possibility of Penang bleeding even more red ink. That would be no joke.

What’s more, if you look more closely at the alignment of this single line, you will find that:

• Only five of the 19 stations between Komtar and Penang airport will have car parks
• The amended alignment placing several stations on the coastal (eastern) side of the Lim Chong Eu Expressway will mean commuters in higher population areas on the western side of the highway, like Sungai Pinang and Jelutong, will be cut off or find it difficult to access the ‘light rail’
• With a lack of first and last-mile connectivity, travel times could average an hour. The one-way travel cost could surpass RM10 (first-mile connectivity costs plus train fare plus the last-mile costs). Double the cost for a return trip. How many can afford that every day? So most Penang residents will have no choice but to continue driving
• The state government will have to kowtow to the federal government to sustain the probably loss-making elevated ‘light rail’ operations. This means Penang might get smaller allocations for other pressing needs. So Penang folk will have to pay the price one way or another

So, if we are unlucky, after 10 years of horrendous traffic jams during the construction period, we will be even more subservient to the federal government.

Meanwhile, ordinary folk will see no significant easing in traffic congestion. After spending RM10bn-RM15bn on a single 22km overhead light ‘rail line’ and waiting 10 years for it to be ready, will it resolve Penang’s traffic congestion?

Think of all those jams that people in Penang are experiencing now.

• Will the peak hours jams in the approach roads to the Penang Bridge and on the bridge itself be eased?
• What about the crawls at:

– Jalan Masjid Negeri

– Kelawei Road to Tanjong Bungah Road,

– the Bayan Lepas industrial zones,

– all over the George Town city centre during long weekends and public holidays

– the peak-hour highway congestion from Juru to Sungai Dua on the mainland  

– and many other choke points both on the island and the mainland

If you are a Penang resident, surely you will know that a mere 22km of elevated ‘light rail’ will not be able to ease the jams on these routes meaningfully.

Instead, the outcome will be RM10-15bn down the drain, with less money available for other pressing public services. Worse, the state could be confronted with the real possibility of red ink from this project staring it in the face.

No, please no ‘SRS LRT’! This proposal is simply not a viable solution for Penang’s traffic congestion. There has to be a reason why you hardly see elevated “LRT” lines in developed cities around the world. Think about it. 

Let’s go back to the Halcrow consultants’ blueprint, which proposed buses, modern trams and water taxis for Penang. For the same amount of capital outlay (RM10bn), these modes could cover the entire state of Penang, cost much less to maintain and be more quickly operational. Better, cheaper, faster!

* The estimate of a 10-year construction period for the 22km overhead light rail line is based on my observation of how long it took to complete the 3km Snake Temple to Pesta site flyover (over three years) and the 5km route from the second Penang bridge to Queensbay Mall (which took over four years to construct).

** The RM170m figure was the initial estimate. It could be as high as RM300m annually based on a rule of thumb of 3-5% (annually) of capital outlay for major infrastructure projects.

Chuah Chong Lai, who has spent 50 years of his working life in the construction industry in Penang, is gravely concerned about what the future holds for Penang and its people

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

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