Chow says the George Town-Butterworth Rail Line is a new component in the Penang Transport Master Plan.
THE state government will work on the implementation of the George Town-Butterworth Rail Line to reduce the congestion experienced on the Penang Bridge every day.
The rail line linking the island and mainland is a new component in the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
“The state government sincerely hopes that Putrajaya will be able to help and facilitate the implementation of this project,” he said in his winding up speech at the state assembly building in Lebuh Light on Thursday.
He also hoped the new Federal Government would help Penang implement several other components under the PTMP, such as Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1) and Bayan Lepas Light Rail Transit (BLLRT).
“Public transport projects such as Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the construction of new highway networks such as PIL 1, will usually receive funding from the Federal Government.
“In order to realise the goals of the BLLRT and PIL 1, to date, the state government has submitted applications for funding allocation to the Federal Government three times in a row through the 12th Malaysia Plan.
“The state government will follow up with the new Federal Government on these critical infrastructure projects to ensure that these projects can be implemented immediately in an effort to overcome the problem of traffic congestion that is getting worse to improve the level of well-being of the people.
“The state government believes that highway construction still needs to be implemented even though there are plans to implement the LRT because the transition from private vehicles to public transport alone is not able to solve the problem of traffic congestion in Penang.
“Even these changes cannot be expected to be carried out in a short period.
“Therefore, the implementation of PIL1 is necessary for the future to divert and reduce traffic congestion, especially on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway and Jalan Masjid Negeri,” Chow explained.On a separate note, Chow said the state government has approved the establishment of a Disaster Humanitarian Logistic Centre.
“This logistics centre will house or store all goods or assets for the purpose of disaster management in the state.
“The estimated cost for the establishment of this centre is around RM6.5mil.
“It will be a single-storey building with an area of 14,000sq ft, a parking area for lorry equipment and other machinery as well as a helipad space.”
Chow said the centre would be built on government-owned land in Jalan Chan Ewe Pin Mukim 14, in central Seberang Prai.
