Construction work on the Penang light railway transit (LRT) project, which is part of the first phase of the island’s Transport Master Plan (TMP), will start in 2018.

According to SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd, the Gamuda Bhd-led project delivery partner (PDP) for the TMP, it will be finalising the cost and alignment of the entire project by year end.

“We expect to start the construction of the LRT in 2018. It will take six years to complete,” SRS Consortium project director Szeto Wai Loong told The Edge Financial Daily in an interview yesterday.

The proposed Bayan Lepas LRT alignment begins from Komtar and ends at the Penang International Airport, running along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE).

It was previously reported by local media that the construction of the LRT project is scheduled to take off in the first half of 2017.

Szeto said the LRT project, which has a total alignment length of approximately 20 km, is one of the first components to be implemented under the TMP. The other component is the Pan Island Link Highway, which is expected to start construction in 2017.

He pointed out that the LRT project and Pan Island Link Highway were determined as the first components in the delivery sequence of the TMP as they fetch economic internal rates of return of 12.2% and 14% respectively, which are the highest among other components.

He added that the construction of the LRT project is expected to have minimal environment and social impact as the alignment runs past the LCE and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, which have a wide reserve.

“We are not acquiring a lot of people’s land compared to other [similar] developments,” he added.

Meanwhile, on the plan to reclaim two islands in the south of Penang Island, Szeto said the detailed environmental impact assessment report will be available to the public for review by mid-2016.

The reclaimed land will be fully owned by the Penang government and the land will be auctioned to finance the RM27 billion TMP.

“The public will have a month’s time to comment. It will take us another month to address all the issues that are relevant,” he explained, adding that the consultant had already started various studies that will take six to seven months.

He said various studies will be carried out to determine the marine and environmental impact, sea current and sedimentation impact, and socio-economic impact on the fishermen community in Teluk Kumbar, Permatang Damar Laut and Gertak Sanggul areas.

The report will be prepared by environmental consultant Dr Nik & Associates Sdn Bhd. Szeto said one of the concerns of the reclamation work would be the livelihood of the fishermen in the area as they have to travel farther for fishing activities.

“We haven’t got complaints about environmental issues. So far, we only have political issues,” he said.

Certain parties have questioned the Penang state government for allowing too many reclamation activities on the island, which raised concerns about the impact on the environment and marine life.

Szeto reassured that the chosen site is the best site for reclamation as there is no seagrass in the area.

Previously, the reclamation was said to be carried out in Middle Bank, partly a seagrass bed — a natural marine ecosystem and breeding spot for marine life — located near Gazumbo Island next to the Penang Bridge.

However, environmentalists and civic groups opposed the proposed project on the grounds that it had the country’s second-largest seagrass bed.

The Edge Financial Daily reported on Monday that the estimated cost for reclaiming the two islands measuring about 1,300 acres (526ha) and 2,100 acres respectively to be about RM7 billion to RM8 billion.

The reclamation, identified as a land swap model to finance the TMP, is expected to take off in 2018 once federal and state approvals for the project components are attained.

The proposed TMP would feature a LRT from Komtar to Bayan Lepas, a monorail from Komtar to Air Itam and Tanjung Bungah, e-buses across the North Channel, bus rapid transits on the mainland, and a 20 km Pan Island Link Highway connecting Tanjung Bungah to the Penang International Airport and the LCE with tunnels cutting through the hills.

SRS Consortium, a joint venture in which Gamuda holds 60%, with Ideal Property Development Sdn Bhd and Loh Phoy Yen Holdings Sdn Bhd holding 20% each, received its appointment letter as the PDP on Aug 14.

Source: TheEdgeProperty.com.my

PIL highway poses no environmental impact

Upon completion, the proposed Pan Island Link (PIL) highway will be able to share the heavy traffic load of the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE), while the proposed Bayan Lepas LRT will be the rail backbone of Penang’s future public transport system.

The projects, which are the first components under the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), are targeted at addressing the critical traffic congestion on the island.

SRS Consortium project director Szeto Wai Loong said the LRT would provide alternative public transport for target ridership of half a million of the island’s current 750,000 residents.

He assured the public that the Bayan Lepas LRT would be built with minimal environment and social impact to the island.

The proposed LRT alignment begins from Komtar and will end at the Penang International Airport, running along LCE and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah. The total alignment length is approximately 20km.

Szeto pointed out that both the LCE and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah have wide road reserves which could accommodate the LRT line.

“The LRT will run along existing road corridors and there will be minimal land acquisition,” he said yesterday.

Similarly, the PIL which starts at the Second Penang Bridge and ends at Gurney Drive will be mainly elevated structures and tunnels. It will not pose impact to the environment.

“It will not have deep cuts and embankments that require significant earth works,” he said.

Szeto said the LRT would serve low-income areas such as Gelugor, Bayan Lepas and Batu Maung as well as high-density locations such as Ghaut Street Flats and Sinar Bukit Dumbar Apartment, whose residents stand to benefit from efficient public transportation.

The LRT will also pass critical transport, commercial and employment nodes on the island, which includes George Town, Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, Penang International Airport, Universiti Sains Malaysia and the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone.

“The proposed LRT will be able to cater to high-volume passengers during morning and evening peak hours on the island, and help reduce congestion along LCE,” he said.

The LRT’s connectivity will be complemented by a comprehensive feeder bus network to further its reach within the communities.

Szeto said the PIL, which would be approximately 20km long, would also connect to Teluk Kumbar and Balik Pulau.

There will be six interchanges at key locations: LCE, Jalan Tun Dr Awang, Relau, Paya Terubong, Gottlieb Road and the Gurney Expressway.

He said once the PIL is completed, the estimated journey time between the Second Penang Bridge and George Town would only take 15 minutes compared to the current 45 minutes.

The proposed funding for the PTMP will be carried out from the reclamation of sea land – forming two new islands in the southern coast of Penang Island.

The two man-made islands located near Permatang Damar Laut will be known as the South Reclamation Scheme (SRS), spanning 930ha and 485ha.

A third plot of 323ha reclaimed land next to the two islands has also been identified if there is a future demand for land activities.

Szeto said concerns that the reclamation would impact negatively on the environment was misplaced.

He pointed out that the southern coast is no longer a pristine, unexplored zone as the enlarging population of Penang Island had already started to move south.

Bayan Lepas and Teluk Kumbar, he said, have been seeing signs of booming development with many residential projects.

“As seen in the last five years, the expanding peripheral of George Town from rapid urbanisation has led to a pick-up in development activities in the south coast, especially near the airport and the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone (FIZ),” he said.

He said the proposed reclaimed islands would provide land space for the expansion of the FIZ, employment opportunities and a comfortable living environment served by an efficient transport system.

“It will be home to the expanded electrical and electronics cluster in the Bayan Lepas FIZ where MNCs and SMEs form a strong supply chain cluster which has been developed in the last 40 years. Some of the SMEs are now global contract manufacturers,” he said.

While some 30,000 affordable homes would be built on the islands, Szeto said the reclaimed islands would boast a range of public amenities that could enhance the quality of life of residents.

Among the planned public facilities are a sports arena, museum, convention centre and a performing arts centre.

To promote a greener and healthier Penang, streets on the islands will have dedicated bicycle lanes and covered pedestrian walkways. Some 15% of the total reclaimed land space or 283ha will be reserved as green lungs comprising coastal parks, tree-lined boulevards and water features. The islands will have a 5km-long continuous stretch of sandy beach.

The state government will be the sole owner of the reclaimed islands, and development of parcels of land will be carefully phased out in a coordinated manner to regulate property prices.

“A strategy of controlled supply will be adopted so that all homes, commercial and industrial projects will be rolled out in sustainable manner according to the masterplan development blueprint agreed by the state government,” he said.

Source: TheStar.com.my

Today we are looking at a comparison of 20 property news portals in Malaysia with SimilarWeb.com’s web traffic analytic and it is plausible to conclude that PenangPropertyTalk.com has accomplished a new milestone by achieving the fifth position with a monthly visits of 140,000 in October 2015.

The chart outlines the top 8 websites which have an estimated monthly traffic of 20,000 and above. iProperty.com.my leads the list by having an estimate of 650,000 visits a month. TheEdgeProperty.com.my has been picking up and it is currently ranked 3rd.

Surprisingly, StarProperty.my and Propwall.my traffic has been deteriorating over the past few months. In fact, the statistic also indicated that StarProperty.my has less than half the traffic of PenangPropertyTalk.com :).

On the other hand, kopiandproperty.com; a website owned by a worthy friend of mine continuously strives into the upwards trend and managed to hit the 8th ranking.

Should you come across any other more popular property news portal in Malaysia that we have missed out, check out their traffic using SimilarWeb’s traffic analytic tools and let us know if its website traffic is better than those listed here.

– Ken Lim
(Founder, PenangPropertyTalk.com)

Gamuda Bhd-led project delivery partner — SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd — for the Penang Transport Master Plan (TMP) estimates the cost of reclaiming two islands measuring about 1,300 acres (526.1ha) and 2,100 acres to be about RM7 billion to RM8 billion.

Its project manager Szeto Wai Loong said the reclamation, identified as a land swap model to finance the RM27 billion TMP, is expected to take off in 2018 once federal and state approvals for the project components are attained.

He said that an 800-acre island next to these islands was also identified for further reclamation in future, pending the state’s needs.

Szeto said that the cost of the detailed environmental impact assessments for the road and rail-based public transportation segments, reclamation, and also feasibility studies could amount to about RM300 million to RM400 million which would be borne by the state.

“We will discuss with the state government, but financing would most likely be via land swap. A tender for the reclamation will be called once approvals from the authorities are completed and the detailed design for the rail-based segment is completed,” he told The Edge Financial Daily.

He said the islands with flushing channels would have 700 acres or 15% green space, 5km beach stretch, 25km coastal park, a 30 km-long waterfront, sheltered pedestrian walkways, and designated bicycle lanes.

“It would also house a meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions centre, sports arena, museum, and performing arts centre,” he told a press conference earlier.

Szeto, who is Gamuda Engineering Sdn Bhd executive director, said to date, the consortium has forked out RM10 million through bank borrowings to fund the preliminary study on the reclamation which included soil and aquatic studies.

He said that it was too early to determine the construction and development profit, but is expected to discuss land use with the state when the approvals are obtained.

On the estimated cost per sq ft, Szeto said: “The state would auction the reclaimed land to [the] public. I believe it would be based on market prices and nominal value at the time of auction”.

The Penang TMP would feature a light rail transit from Komtar to Bayan Lepas, monorail from Komtar to Air Itam and Tanjung Bungah, e-bus across the North Channel, bus rapid transits on the mainland, and a 20km “spine road” connecting Tanjung Bungah to Penang International Airport, and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway with tunnels through the hills.

He said extensive studies conducted by the Danish Hydraulic Institute confirmed that the southern coast of Penang island was most suitable for reclamation.

“This is due to its natural embayment feature with weak tidal currents, shallow waters with a depth of about 3m, and is sheltered from the effects of tsunamis,” he said.

SRS Consortium, a joint venture in which Gamuda holds 60%, with Ideal Property Development Sdn Bhd and Loh Phoy Yen Holdings Sdn Bhd holding 20% each, received its appointment letter on Aug 14.

State Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the TMP would be funded through the sale of reclaimed land from the proposed South Reclamation Scheme.

“The reclaimed land will be an asset of the state and as the sole owner, the state government will be able to raise the funds needed to deliver the TMP effectively in a timely and sustainable manner,” he said.

Chow said it was pertinent to implement the TMP now before the “window of opportunity is closed” as increased property development would make it difficult to identify road and rail alignments on land which is presently undeveloped.

Last week, Chow said the reclamation was expected to have a five-time economic multiplier effect amounting to RM100 billion while also being a catalyst for growth for the state till 2050.

“The reclaimed land is expected to house the new Penang International Airport and provide additional space for industries, hence the growth catalyst for Penang,” he said.

Source: TheEdgeProperty.com.my

The RM27bil Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) might be funded through the auction of two plots of reclaimed land in the southern coast of Penang island.

SRS Consortium, the appointed Project Delivery Partner (PDP) of the plan, has proposed the reclaimed land as an asset for the state to raise funds to deliver the project in a timely and sustainable manner.

The two man-made islands, located near Permatang Damar Laut, will be known as the South Reclamation Scheme (SRS) spanning 930ha and 445ha.

A third plot of 323ha reclaimed land next to the two islands has also been identified if there is a future demand for land activities.

SRS Consortium project director Szeto Wai Loong said Danist Hydraulic Institute, an internationally reputed water environment expert, recently carried out extensive studies on the southern coast of the island.

The institute, he said, confirmed that the coast was the most suitable for reclamation due to its natural bay area with weak tidal currents, shallow water and natural shelter from the effects of tsunami.

“They checked all the coastlines in Penang island, and found that the southern coast is most technically viable for reclamation as it has limited environmental sensitivity, with no seagrass or coral reefs.

“Our communications team will be engaging with the fishermen in the area. We want to hear them out,” he told reporters at a briefing in Komtar here yesterday.

Szeto said the man-made islands would see a new smart green city called SRS Smart City, aimed at re-energising Penang’s economic engine for the next 50 years.

He said the new city’s location would be close to the Bayan Lepas International Airport and this would allow the Free Trade Zone’s 471 small and medium enterprises and 117 multinational companies to expand.

“We were told 30% of the companies had wanted to expand but there’s no room for them to grow at the moment.

“SRS Smart City will be able to help these companies expand. The islands will have their own self-cleansing system to prevent erosion and siltation.

“Besides providing attractive housing solutions, there will also be a 5km beach, a 25km coastal park, a 30km waterfront and 283ha of green areas,” he said.

He added that there would be an efficient rail transit system serving the new city.

SRS Consortium is a company formed by public-listed Gamuda Bhd and two local property firms – Loh Phoy Yen Holdings Sdn Bhd and Ideal Property Development Sdn Bhd.

It was appointed by the state in August to come up with a detailed execution of the master plan and engineering designs, and to gather public feedback and obtain all state and federal approvals for each PTMP component.

Among the components of PTMP were trams, monorail, light rail transit lines, e-bus, bus rapid transit, pan-island expressway, a catamaran system and a RM100mil highway interchange upgrading project.

Szeto said they had spent RM10mil to carry out feasibility studies on PTMP.

Penang Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the project was still “a work in progress”.

“The state government has not given any approval yet. Submission of detailed environmental impact assessment will only be done in June next year.

“We will be doing more than the legal provision requires. We will engage various stakeholders next month with a similar presentation. This will allow us to finetune the project after getting feedback,” he said.

Source: TheStar.com.my