Latest news with #SRSConsortiumSdnBhd
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Silicon island link by 2028
Building the future: The temporary steel bridge provides access for construction and infrastructure works on Silicon Island. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star, Silicon Island Development Sdn Bhd GEORGE TOWN: A 380m-long coastal bridge connecting the southern coast of Penang island to the emerging Silicon Island is expected to be ready by the end of 2028. With four lanes in each direction, the bridge is designed to meet future transportation needs and support the development of the man-made island, which will house the proposed Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) depot and Green Tech Park. The bridge is also a key component of the Pan Island Link 2A (PIL2A), a strategic initiative aimed at improving connectivity between Silicon Island and the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Bridge. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who disclosed this yesterday, said the contract for the bridge project had been awarded and construction will begin this month. He said phase one is targeted for completion by mid-2027 to support the opening of Silicon Island's first operational factory, with full commissioning expected at the end of the following year. 'In the meantime, a temporary steel bridge has been built to provide access for construction and infrastructure works on Silicon Island, which now spans 64.75ha of the intended 931ha. Phase One of the island with a total of 64.75ha reclaimed to date. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star, Silicon Island Development Sdn Bhd 'It helps expedite the mobilisation of machinery and workers who used boats before this. This is a model development,' Chow said during a visit to the Silicon Island project site. The visit included a preview of the designated areas for the Mutiara Line LRT depot and Green Tech Park, which are gradually taking shape. Chow said work on the LRT project will begin once the Notice to Proceed is issued to SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd (SRS) in several weeks' time. 'Preliminary work, including soil testing and placement of infrastructure, are being carried out,' he added. It was reported that construction of the Mutiara Line LRT would begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. The 29.5km Mutiara Line, targeted for delivery in December 2031, will feature 21 strategically located stations to improve connectivity between the island and mainland. Chow also said a new community facility, Medan Selera Matang, was being built in Permatang Damar Laut overlooking Silicon Island. It will feature a village community management council hall, fishermen's one-stop service centre, food stalls, restaurants and storage sheds for fishermen. For the initial water supply needs of Silicon Island, a suction tank and pump house will be built. The total construction cost for the community facilities, pump house and suction tank is estimated at RM36mil.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Penang begins major infrastructure push for Silicon Island
GEORGE TOWN: A 380-metre marine viaduct connecting the southern coast of Penang island to the emerging Silicon Island is expected to be opened to the public by December 2028. It will feature four lanes in each direction. The bridge will serve as a key component of the Pan Island Link 2A (PIL2A) – a strategic infrastructure initiative aimed at improving connectivity between Silicon Island and the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Bridge, while supporting Penang's long-term urban growth. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the contract for the bridge has been awarded to a company. "Construction is scheduled to begin this month, with the first phase targeted for completion by mid-2027 to support the opening of Silicon Island's first operational factory. "Final construction and full commissioning are expected to be completed by the end of 2028," he told newsmen after leading a delegation for a site visit via a temporary steel bridge to inspect progress on the Silicon Island, which now spans 160 acres (64.75 ha) here today. The bridge is built next to the proposed marine viaduct. Construction for the 378-metre bridge, which began in August 2024 and was completed in March this year, is meant to provide temporary access for construction and infrastructure works on Silicon Island. "This temporary bridge is an important connection to expedite reclamation works at Silicon Island. With the temporary bridge, it will expedite the mobilisation of machinery and workers compared with using boats before this," he added. The visit included a preview of the designated areas for the future Mutiara Line light rail transit (LRT) depot and Green Tech Park, both of which are gradually taking shape as part of the state's innovation-driven development plans. Chow said full swing work for the depot would begin once the Notice to Proceed has been issued to SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd (SRS) in a matter of weeks. Preliminary works, which include soil testing and placement of infrastructure, are being carried out. Chow said that while the project had faced challenges, they have been addressed systematically. "Any issues raised will be addressed promptly. It is a model development where many people came to visit to see how we overcome issues like the environment, fishermen's concerns and such," he said. During a visit to Penang in May 2023, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the federal government would allocate additional funding to help expedite the state's proposed Mutiara Line light rail transit (LRT) project. At the time, he also requested that the state government scale down the scope of the reclamation project. The Penang Silicon Island initiative is projected to generate a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) impact of RM1.1 trillion, attract total investments amounting to RM74.7 billion, and create some 220,000 job opportunities.
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.
