INFORMATION MADE AVAILABLE TO PiT BY SRS CONSORTIUM ON BAYAN LEPAS LRT WHICH IS THE FIRST TO BE ROLLED OUT UNDER THE PENANG TRANSPORT MASTERPLAN.

The proposed Bayan Lepas LRT is built along the wide reserve of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.  

Part of the proposed Bayan Lepas LRT will also run along the centre of Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah at the Bayan Lepas FIZ and the Penang International Airport area. 

Part of the proposed Bayan Lepas LRT will also run along the centre of Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah at the Gelugor area. 

·         The Bayan Lepas LRT and the Pan Island Links will be the first components to be implemented under the PTMP. Both components are crucial to address the critical traffic conditions in Penang currently – as the LRT will provide alternative public transport, while the PIL will share the heavy traffic load of the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE).

·         The proposed Bayan Lepas LRT alignment begins from Komtar and will end at the Penang International Airport, running along LCE and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah. Total alignment length is approximately 20km (please refer to alignment corridor).

·         Construction of the Bayan Lepas LRT will have minimal environmental and social impact as the alignment runs past the LCE and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah which have a wide reserve.

·         The LRT will serve the lower-income areas such as Gelugor, Bayan Lepas and Batu Maung, which would require efficient public transport to lighten the burden of their living costs and improve connectivity to various parts of the island.

·         Particularly, some of the specific low-income areas that will be served include the Ghaut Street Flats in George Town and the Sinar Bukit Dumbar Apartment.

·         The LRT will also run past critical high-density, high human traffic, high-employment, major commercial and transport hubs on Penang Island such as:

                                            i.            George Town

                                          ii.            Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal

                                        iii.            Penang International Airport

                                         iv.            Universiti Sains Malaysia

                                           v.            Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone 

·        The proposed Bayan Lepas LRT will be able to cater to high-volume passengers during the morning and evening peak hours in Penang Island and help reduce the congestion along LCE.

·        The Bayan Lepas LRT will form the rail back bone of Penang’s public transport system. The LRT’s connectivity will be complemented by a comprehensive feeder bus network to further its reach within the communities.

·        The estimated ridership catchment is 500,000 out of the island’s population of almost 750,000 in 2015.

·        The LRT and PIL were determined as the first component in the delivery sequence of the PTMP after extensive studies on its economic feasibility and benefits. It is expected to fetch an Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of 12.20%, while the PIL’s EIRR is 14.0%.

·        Large-scale infrastructure projects are considered economically viable if its EIRR is above 7.8% (or BCR above 1.0) – PTMP components are prioritised with the highest EIRR being implemented first.

The proposed corridor of the Bayan Lepas LRT will serve the lower-income and high populated and employment areas on Penang Island.

Questions from PiT

•       What are the Master implementation dates for Bayan Lepas LRT and  Penang Island Link respectively?
•       The LRT being a basic transport infrastructure needed to salvage Penang which is ailing from traffic congestion and other annoyance ; shouldn’t the funding come from Federal Govt?
•       We want to know what is the undertaking and the commitment from SRS and the Penang Government to ensure that the LRT and PIL will start and complete according to timelines given in (1) above