Mutiara line

The Mutiara LRT line (English: Pearl) is a proposed light rapid transit system in Penang. The 28 km line is planned to connect George Town's city centre with its southern suburbs of Jelutong, Gelugor and Bayan Lepas, with a link towards Seberang Perai across the Penang Strait. Once completed, it is owned by the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC). The line, a component of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), is projected to contain 21 stations. Construction of the line is expected to begin in September or October 2024, and will be completed by 2030.

The line was previously known as the Bayan Lepas line, introduced by the Penang state government in 2015 as part of the PTMP. The plan envisaged a rapid transit system along George Town's heavily urbanised eastern shorelines in a north-south axis, with an extension towards reclaimed islands south of Batu Maung. It received conditional approval from the Malaysian government in 2019, and construction was scheduled to begin in 2020 amidst overwhelming public support. However, construction was repeatedly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a nationwide political crisis which resulted in a withdrawal of support by successive governments of different political parties.

After the general elections in 2022, the Malaysian government expedited development of the rapid transit line with additional funding, before fully taking over the project from the Penang state government. The line was re-designated and its alignment was substantially redesigned to its present state, which added a cross-strait link from George Town to Seberang Perai.

Overview
The Mutiara line forms the backbone of the Penang Transport Master Plan, an initiative created by the Penang state government in 2015 to improve transport infrastructure throughout the state. Among the components of the plan, the construction of several rapid transit lines, especially a line across the north-south axis of Penang Island's eastern coast, are prioritised for implementation, as the lines will serve a highly densely populated urban and industrial corridor along the eastern coast of George Town, specifically between the city centre and Bayan Lepas to the south. In addition, the transit service would facilitate easier commute for tourists arriving via the Penang International Airport.

Initial design
In April 2015, news reports emerged about the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) line from Komtar to the Penang International Airport. The 17.5 km line was expected to cost around RM4.5 billion. Chow Kon Yeow, who held the position of Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Executive Councillor at the time, was quoted as saying that the LRT would take five to six years to complete. Months later, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced the appointment of SRS Consortium as the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) for the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP). The consortium consists of Gamuda Berhad as the majority shareholder, Penang-based Loh Phoy Yen Holdings and Ideal Property Development.

In December that year, SRS Consortium announced that the construction of the Bayan Lepas LRT would commence in 2018, with the goal of completing it by 2024. The original route of the Bayan Lepas LRT was disclosed in February the following year. The proposed route consisted of 19 stations spanning a 22 km (14 mi) stretch between Komtar and Permatang Damar Laut, with another eight stations planned for the proposed Penang South Islands (PSI) reclamation project, bringing the total length of the LRT line to 30 km (19 mi).

As public transportation falls under the ambit of the Malaysian federal government, in March 2016, the state government submitted the proposed Bayan Lepas LRT system to the federal Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) for approval. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was also submitted to the federal Department of Environment (DOE) in 2017.

Funding became a contentious issue, as at that point, Penang was an opposition state governed by the Pakatan Rakyat bloc (now Pakatan Harapan). The Najib Razak administration had ignored requests by the state government for federal funding, forcing the state to resort to the PSI reclamation project to fund the PTMP. The state estimated that the sale of the reclaimed islets would generate RM70 billion in revenue, which would help finance the cost of PTMP. Additionally, the development of the islets was projected to result in economic spillover of RM100 billion.

Receiving government support
The PSI project became a political issue prior the elections in 2018, with the incumbent Barisan Nasional federal government opposing the reclamation on the grounds of protecting the livelihoods of the affected fishermen. The PTMP, along with the PSI, formed part of Pakatan Harapan's (PH) 68-point election manifesto for Penang. Consequently, the Bayan Lepas LRT, which was dependent on the reclamation project, did not receive approval until after the elections when PH came into federal power. In 2019, the federal Ministry of Transport gave conditional approval for the Bayan Lepas LRT. The estimated cost of the line had increased to RM8.4 billion.

Detailed plans of the Bayan Lepas LRT were put on public display in 2019 as part of the conditional approval. Despite dissent from certain interest groups, the LRT received close to 98% support from the public. Chow, who succeeded Lim as Chief Minister after the election, stated that construction of the LRT would begin in 2020, and that the state government had secured a sovereign guarantee from the Mahathir administration to issue bonds for the LRT.

Successive withdrawal of government support
Following the Sheraton Move that led to the toppling of the Mahathir administration by the right-wing Perikatan Nasional (PN) in 2020, the federal government rescinded the guarantee for a US$500 million loan application to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for financing the Bayan Lepas LRT. PH politicians from Penang subsequently accused the PN administration of "political vendetta". In the midst of the political feuding and the nationwide quarantine imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government announced that they would pursue other financing options for the LRT project. By then, the project was estimated to cost RM9.5 billion.

Revival and redesign
In 2022, the state government initiated a request for proposal (RFP) to obtain private funding and pre-qualify potential operators of the Bayan Lepas LRT. The RFP received eight submissions from local and international consortiums by the end of the year, with the state government planning to commence construction in 2023.

The federal election in 2022 resulted in a unity government headed by PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim. As Prime Minister, Anwar announced additional federal allocations in May 2023 to expedite the development of the Bayan Lepas LRT line. With more funds being made available, the state government decided to scale down the PSI project from three to one islet (Silicon Island).

After months of studies, in 2024, the federal government took over the LRT line, renaming it the Mutiara LRT Line. Mass Rapid Transit Corporation was appointed the developer and asset owner, while SRS Consortium is to be offered the contract for the first segment that stretches from the Silicon Island to Komtar. Significant changes were made to the alignment, including a cross-strait extension from Komtar to Penang Sentral at Butterworth, as well as the relocation of the proposed depot to Sungai Nibong. Following negotiations between federal and state authorities, the alignment was shortened to 28 km, while the Macallum and Sungai Dua stations were designated as interchange stations. The line is projected to be completed by 2030.

Station listing
, the alignment, as finalised by the Penang state government and Mass Rapid Transit Corporation, includes the following proposed stations.