Penang tram proposal unfeasible: PTMP project manager

GEORGE TOWN: The proposal to introduce Trams as the backbone of public transport in Penang may not be feasible due to the physical constrains imposed by the existing road system.
Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) Project Delivery Partner (PDP) SRS Consortium project manager Szeto Wai Loong said the roads in the island-state were too narrow for road-level transport options like trams.
As such, he said costs will increase for the setup as land will have to be acquired in order for roads to have trams running along them.
Another factor which could further increase the cost and construction duration was the relocation of utilities under the road, he added.
Szeto said the "at-grade tram system" needed two lanes for the coming and going of vehicles and questioned if the people of Penang were prepared to face jams as the roads will become narrower.
Hence, he reasoned that was why elevated rail systems like the Light Rail Transit (LRT) needed to be mooted and accelerated instead in to minimise land acquisition and social impact.
"To encourage the use of public transport, the system needs to be fast (high capacity) which needs a dedicated corridor and not mix with existing traffic," he said in a media briefing today with Penang Local Government, Flood Mitigation and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow (pix).
The briefing comes after Penang Forum, a coalition of NGOs, proposed a Better, Faster, Cheaper Transport Master Plan (BFCTMP) had proposed trams be the main linkages for public transport.
Chow also defended the need for the Pan Island Link (PIL) noting that although the target was to get a 40% share for public transport by 2030, leaving 60% using private vehicles.
"The system needs to move in tandem and also provide for the needs of those using their own vehicles," he added.
On the issue of funding the PTMP, Szeto said the proposal to reclaim three islands of the south coast of Penang island was the funding model.
He stressed the reclaimed land will be owned by the Penang government who will auctioned off the land via open tender for funds to build PTMP components.
Szeto also stressed the true cost for the entire PTMP will only be known when tenders for the components, like roads or rail lines, are awarded in response to figures of RM27billion to RM46billion being bandied about.