Experts cautiously optimistic about Penang’s underground LRT

 

A proposal to run Penang’s LRT line underground will improve public transport on the island and preserve the city’s heritage streetscapes, say experts.

GEORGE TOWN: A proposal to run Penang’s LRT line underground within the city limits here and link it to Seberang Perai via an undersea tunnel has left experts cautiously optimistic.

Although lauded as a good step to improve public transport and save George Town’s prized streetscapes, taking the line and stations underground may pose an engineering challenge, they said.

Lim Thean Heng, a former chief engineer in charge of the Penang Transport Master Plan, said an underground route would cost three to four times more than an elevated LRT line. It would also take longer to complete.

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Lim said tunnelling through George Town, especially in the vicinity of the proposed Komtar station near the old Sia Boey market, would be an engineering challenge, as the whole area is made up of soggy soil mixed with clay, and high groundwaters.

He said the work may weaken the structure of heritage buildings and cause walls to crack as the groundwaters will need to be drawn off to allow a tunnel to be dug out.

This would result in a lowering of underground water levels in the surrounding areas to keep excavations dry while work is being carried out.

“A good example was the excavation of the Prangin Mall basement during the 1980s. Cracks appeared in many of the surrounding heritage buildings. Most of them were on bakau piles. These piles need to be always submerged below the water table, or else they would rot away.”

On top of that, he told FMT, no one knew for sure if any of these heritage buildings rests on pilings.

Lim also said the bakau piles primarily used as a foundation for most shophouses in George Town have to be permanently wet, failing which they would deteriorate. He said these piles would eventually rot if the groundwater was removed.

However, Penang Institute’s Ong Siou Woon believes going underground is necessary and worth the trouble. She said it would save the state from having to acquire land above ground at hefty prices.

Ong said the height restrictions imposed due to George Town’s status as a World Heritage Site make at-grade (road level) and underground stations the better choice.

She also said an underground station would save George Town’s streetscape and minimise traffic congestion during construction.

“Building a rail line might be bothersome, so it is important to plan ahead. If we plan well and keep a close watch, we can solve the problems,” the urban planner told FMT.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Farhan Sadullah said an undersea connection between the island and Seberang Perai was a good idea, as a reliable public transport link was needed to improve mobility. He also said both rail and road can run through the same tunnel.

“Integration to the network can be done practically. I do not see any big issue,” he said.

Penang had previously agreed to the transport ministry and MRT Corp’s proposal for some of its LRT stations to run underground, with a future cross-channel connection to Seberang Perai also in the pipeline.

Seberang Perai will also have an LRT line which is expected to run from Kepala Batas in the north to Simpang Ampat. - FMT