Penang’s Pesta site handed over to MRT Corp for LRT project

 Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow says at least half of the 8.13ha site will be used for the rail project.

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook and chief minister Chow Kon Yeow (left) at the MRT Corp office at the Pesta Pulau Pinang site today. (Bernama pic)

GEORGE TOWN:

 MRT Corp has officially taken over the site of the iconic Pesta Pulau Pinang to construct a depot and train station for the Mutiara Line LRT project.

Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said at least half of the 8.13ha site would be utilised in phases.

Chow acknowledged the deep nostalgia surrounding the funfair, a long-standing state event for the past 60 years.

“However, this change should be seen as a progressive step towards a more sustainable and competitive future (for Penang),” he said at the handover ceremony at the site in Sungai Nibong today.

Chow said the site will be developed as part of a transit-oriented development hub.

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook, who also attended the ceremony, said the hub will support local businesses and the daily activities of the surrounding community.

In areas with land constraints, he said, this approach enabled more efficient space utilisation, in line with development models in major cities worldwide.

He cited Hong Kong as an example, where the Tseung Kwan O Depot has been integrated with residential and commercial developments, creating a complete and dynamic urban area.

Loke said land acquisition for the LRT project is being carried out in stages, with 61 private land lots having undergone the hearing process under the Land Acquisition Act for Segment 1 of the project on the island (Permatang Damar Laut-Macallum Street).

To date, Penang’s director-general of lands and mines department has issued 41 Form H notices (awards and compensation offers), with MRT Corp having settled compensation payments for 39 plots of land.

The Mutiara Line LRT project remains on track for its targeted commencement of operations in 2031.

A total of 22 stations will be built, including one at Penang Sentral in Butterworth, which will be connected to Macallum Street on the island via a 6km cross-strait bridge.

Piling and pier construction are currently under way, with 40m-beams between the columns expected to be erected first at Bandar Seri Pinang in July and August. - FMT