Latest news with #MohdZarifHashim
The Sun
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Mutiara Line LRT large-scale construction to begin in Q4 2026, says MRT Corp
GEORGE TOWN: Large-scale construction of the Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is set to begin in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2026, said Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim. He said that based on current progress, the contractor will soon commence soil investigation work along the proposed LRT alignment, before finalising the design. 'Soil investigation had been done before, and the data already exists; this isn't entirely new. However, there may be certain conditions or locations which require updates by the contractor,' he said. 'This is because the previous soil investigation was conducted around 2018, which was some time ago. So now, the contractor needs to carry out a fresh round of soil investigation,' he told reporters at the Mutiara Line LRT's Aidilfitri Open House, here, today. Also present were Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and state Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari. Elaborating further, Mohd Zarif explained that the design must take into account the latest soil conditions, as well as existing underground utilities which may require relocation. 'So, naturally, some utilities along the road reserve will need to be relocated first. That process must happen as well. So, in terms of construction activity, you'll start to see signs, like small machinery moving in to begin utility relocation, within the next six months,' he said. He said it is normal that during the initial years, projects like the LRT line follow an S-curve trajectory, where progress picks up significantly after reaching a certain critical stage. 'It won't be an immediate spike; progress will be gradual until sometime next year. The S-curve trajectory will likely become more visible around 2027 or 2028, where you can see the slope of the curve. 'By 2029, we'll likely hit the peak of the S-curve, and that brings us another two years until the end of 2031,' he said. The 29.5 km Mutiara Line, featuring 21 stations, aims to boost connectivity across Penang Island and the mainland, easing congestion and improving access. It will connect Penang South Reclamation's Island A with both Penang Sentral and Komtar Station in George Town, with trains running alternately on both routes, for wider coverage.
The Sun
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Mutiara Line LRT construction to start in Q4 2026
GEORGE TOWN: Large-scale construction of the Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is set to begin in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2026, said Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim. He said that based on current progress, the contractor will soon commence soil investigation work along the proposed LRT alignment, before finalising the design. 'Soil investigation had been done before, and the data already exists; this isn't entirely new. However, there may be certain conditions or locations which require updates by the contractor,' he said. 'This is because the previous soil investigation was conducted around 2018, which was some time ago. So now, the contractor needs to carry out a fresh round of soil investigation,' he told reporters at the Mutiara Line LRT's Aidilfitri Open House, here, today. Also present were Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and state Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari. Elaborating further, Mohd Zarif explained that the design must take into account the latest soil conditions, as well as existing underground utilities which may require relocation. 'So, naturally, some utilities along the road reserve will need to be relocated first. That process must happen as well. So, in terms of construction activity, you'll start to see signs, like small machinery moving in to begin utility relocation, within the next six months,' he said. He said it is normal that during the initial years, projects like the LRT line follow an S-curve trajectory, where progress picks up significantly after reaching a certain critical stage. 'It won't be an immediate spike; progress will be gradual until sometime next year. The S-curve trajectory will likely become more visible around 2027 or 2028, where you can see the slope of the curve. 'By 2029, we'll likely hit the peak of the S-curve, and that brings us another two years until the end of 2031,' he said. The 29.5 km Mutiara Line, featuring 21 stations, aims to boost connectivity across Penang Island and the mainland, easing congestion and improving access. It will connect Penang South Reclamation's Island A with both Penang Sentral and Komtar Station in George Town, with trains running alternately on both routes, for wider coverage.
New Straits Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Mutiara Line LRT construction in Penang to begin in fourth quarter 2026
GEORGE TOWN: Large-scale construction of the Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is expected to take shape in the fourth quarter of next year. Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim said, based on the progress, the contractor, SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd (SRS), would soon begin soil investigations along the Mutiara Line LRT route. He said that soil investigations had already been carried out previously and that the data was available, adding that this was not a new process. "It is possible that there are some locations where the contractor needs to make adjustments, which means an update. The last soil investigation was conducted around 2018, so it has been quite a while. "Now, what the contractor needs to do is conduct another round of soil investigations in certain areas. Once this is done, they will be able to finalise the design, as the design must take the soil conditions into account," he told reporters during MRT Corp's Hari Raya open house at The Top here this afternoon. Present was Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. Zarif said that once the finalisation is done, the next step would be to determine whether the location has utilities that need to be relocated. As is known, he explained, there are utilities running underground next to the road. He mentioned that they would be utilising a large portion of the road reserve. "So, obviously, some utilities in the road reserve will need to be relocated first. That also needs to be done." "If you talk about construction activity, you will start to see, for example, six months from now, small machinery going to the site to begin relocating the utilities." "However, the large-scale construction, such as the viaduct, will start to take shape by the fourth quarter of next year." "Next year is only 2026, and with the target delivery date set for December 31, 2031, we still have five years to go," he added. Zarif said it was normal for projects like this to follow an S-curve, with the initial phase being a bit slow. He explained that after reaching a certain critical mass, progress would pick up, following the S-curve pattern. "So, projects like this follow an S-curve. It's not like a spike. Therefore, you'll see slow progress at the beginning. I would say the upward slope of the S-curve will start to appear after 2027 or 2028." "You have to understand the S-curve scenario. That's why I say that by the time we reach 2029, we will be at the top of the S-curve. From there, we'll have another two years until the end of 2031." "I know there is an expectation from the people of Penang and the state government that this has been a long-drawn project, but we are doing our best to expedite it," he said. He also said that despite it having only been three months, people could already see substantial progress. "For us to mobilise the entire machinery of the government and everyone else to achieve what we have today is quite significant. "I hope that with this kind of momentum, we will continue progressing. And hopefully, we will be able to exceed our own target timeline," he said. MRT Corp recently assured the public that the Mutiara Line LRT project remains on track and on schedule. As the asset owner and project developer, MRT Corp said that over the past three months, it had been actively driving the project forward. On Jan 10, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mutiara Line LRT project, marking the commencement of a transformative new chapter for the state's public transport network.
The Star
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Construction of Mutiara Line LRT in Penang expected to start in fourth quarter 2026
GEORGE TOWN: Construction of the Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, says Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim. The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Corp Sdn Bhd chief executive officer said before the construction can begin, the contractor needs to start a soil investigation along the LRT allignment. "In the past, this type of soil investigation has already been done. So, the data is already there. "It's not a new thing, but, it's possible that there are some situations or locations that the contractor needs to get fixed," he told reporters during the Mutiara Line LRT Hari Raya Aidilfitri Open House at The Top on Friday (April 25). Mohd Zarif said the last soil investigation was done around 2018, and it has been quite a while. He said the contractor needs to do another round of soil investigations in the area. He said that once the soil investigation is completed, the contractor will be able to finalise the design, as it needs to take the soil conditions into account. "Then, once the design is finalised, the first step is to assess whether there are any utilities at the site that need to be relocated," he said. He said some of the utilities on the road reserve will need to be relocated first. He said that during the construction phase, Penangites may start to notice activity, for example, in about six months, small machinery will be seen on-site working to relocate the utilities. "However, for the big scale of construction, like the viaduct, I think you can see it taking shape by quarter four next year "Next year is only 2026. With the target delivery date on Dec 31, 2031. we still have five years to go," he added. He said it is normal that during the initial years, projects like the LRT line would follow an S-curve once it reaches a certain critical mass. 'It is not like a spike and therefore, you will see slow progress until sometime next year. "And I would say the S-shape will come in after 2027, 2028, where you can actually see the slope of the curve. "By the time we reach 2029, it is already at that top of the S curve and that brings us for another two years until the end of 2031," he said. Mohd Zarif said MRT Corp was doing its best in order to expedite the project. "Even though it has been only three months, you can see the progress has been quite substantial. "For us to achieve what we have achieved so far is quite significant," he said.
