This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 18, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: The Penang state government has secured a conditional approval from the transport ministry for the state’s Bayan Lepas light rail transit (LRT) project.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in a statement yesterday that the approval was granted on Tuesday following a detailed study of the application submitted by the Penang Economic Planning Unit for the project to be developed.

With the conditional approval, the project applicant has to deposit documents related to the project with the Land Public Transport Agency for public inspection and feedback for three months.

“On completing the evaluation of the feedback received during the public inspection session, another application for final approval of the railway scheme has to be submitted to the minister,” Loke said.

The Bayan Lepas LRT project, estimated to cost RM8.4 billion and to stretch some 29.9km from Komtar to Bayan Lepas, is part of the state government’s RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan.

With 27 stations, the alignment will pass through Jelutong, Gelugor, Bayan Lepas and the Penang International Airport before ending at the proposed Penang South Reclamation (PSR) development.

In an immediate response, the state government lauded the federal government’s conditional approval for the Komtar-Bayan Lepas LRT line.

“We welcome the statement by the transport minister today relating to the granting of conditional approval for the LRT Bayan Lepas Pulau Pinang project under Sections 83 and 84 of the Land Transportation Act 2010 (Act 715),” said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in a separate statement.

“The state government will wait for a formal letter from the transport ministry before any further action is taken.”

Chow added that the state government was committed to meeting all the conditions set by the ministry in order to execute the project.