Thousands of commuters are expected to benefit when the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) is incorporated into the new Penang Sentral Transport Hub Terminal next year.

Northern Corridor Economic Region special adviser to the Prime Minister, Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman said the plan to set up the UTC at the terminal was to benefit the commuters in the area.

“Once the 10-storey terminal is completed, there will be a high volume of commuters using the train, ferry, bus and taxi services.

“With the UTC in the building, they can access government services under one roof.

“Since the terminal is also in Butterworth town, it would also provide good access for residents there,” he said yesterday.

Last year, the 10 UTCs in the country attracted some 11.5 million Malaysians. The 11th UTC was opened earlier this month in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Under the National Blue Ocean Strategy initiative, the UTC houses commercial outlets and various state and federal government agencies.

Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) executive vice-president Datuk Ishak Mohamed, who was also present to accompany Zainal in the site tour, said work on the project was going smoothly.

“So far, the project is about 25% complete and everything is on track.

“We expect it to be completed on schedule by early next year,” he said.

Penang Sentral Sdn Bhd, which was specially established to manage and administer the Penang Sentral project, is a wholly owned subsidiary of MRCB.

Source: TheStar.com.my