PenangSentral:Phase 1 by 2011

[GWR]

Thursday November 22, 2007

Penang Sentral to take shape

By YENG AI CHUN

BUTTERWORTH: Work on the RM2bil Penang Sentral project here will start next month.

The transportation hub, to comprise an integrated terminal for rail, road and sea travel, will be undertaken by Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) and Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputra Bhd.

Penang Port Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Ahmad Ibnihajar said the transportation terminal would be completed within two to three years.

“The temporary transportation terminal will be ready for occupation in January next year,” he said after presenting ISO 9001:2000 award certificates to PPSB’s corporate services unit and strategic business units here yesterday.

A RM5mil temporary building is being built to ensure that bus services would not be disrupted when work on the transportation and logistic hub begins.

The facilities for Penang Sentral will mirror Kuala Lumpur Sentral and on top of the transportation terminal, there will be a development of commercial and residential properties on the 12.8ha site.

The site of the project was once the Butterworth bus terminal before it was razed in a fire in 2001.

Ahmad also told reporters that Penang Port would welcome any organisation that was interested in providing additional sea transport to complement the current existing ferry services.

http://allmalaysia.info/archives/2007/11/22/state/sentral.jpg
[Photo:The Star - Integrated terminal: Penang Sentral is modelled after Kuala Lumpur Sentral.]

“If there is an organisation which is willing to provide water taxis or high-speed ferry services as suggested in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) blueprint, we welcome them,” he said.

When asked if Penang Port would increase ferry fares as it was running at a loss of RM1mil every month, Ahmad replied that the government would know how to plan.

“What the government needs to do is have better car park facilities for the park and ride concept and the (sea) water has to be cleaned up.

...........

http://allmalaysia.info/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/22/state/19545706&sec=mi_penang

Related Post on this project & others in Penang's hinterland:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=16182&postcount=11

[GWR]

http://allmalaysia.info/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/22/state/19545706&sec=mi_penang

Related Post on this project & others in Penang's hinterland:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=16182&postcount=11

December 14, 2007 21:14 PM

MRCB Teams Up With PHBB For Penang Transportation Hub Project

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) announced Friday it has teamed up with Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Bhd (PHBB) to set up a joint venture company to develop an integrated transportation hub in Penang.

Called the Penang Sentral Project, it comprises an integrated bus, taxi and railway terminal, provision for monorail services system, retail, residential and commercial components and services facilities within a 30-acre site, MRCB said in a statement.

"Penang Sentral will become the central transportation hub for Penang, integrating ferry, train, intercity and intra-city bus and taxi services, with provision for a monorail station to be incorporated into the hub," it said.

MRCB said the joint venture company today signed a contract with its subsidiary MRCB Selborn Corporation Sdn Bhd for the development management service, design, construction and maintenance of the project.

"The company's participation in the urban development of Penang will enable it to use its experience and expertise in property development to increase the group's business growth and revenue," it said.

-- BERNAMA
Non-specific link:
http://www.bernama.com.my/

[GWR]

http://allmalaysia.info/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/22/state/19545706&sec=mi_penang
Related Post on this project & others in Penang's hinterland:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=16182&postcount=11

Another ugly-bug structure in the ever far-from-beautiful Butterworth:

Opening of Butterworth [temporary] bus terminal postponed
By DERRICK VINESH

THE opening of the RM5mil temporary bus terminal in Butterworth has been deferred to July.

Penang Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng said although the terminal was ready last month, the developer needed three months to complete a temporary hawker centre nearby.

The centre, to be occupied by about 60 stalls, will be located opposite the terminal mainly to cater to the needs of the bus commuters.

“We hope there will be no further delay because the public and the bus operators have waited patiently for eight years for the new terminal to be operational,” he said after visiting the terminal in Jalan Pantai in Butterworth recently.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/4/14/north/bus.jpg
[Photo: The Star - Better facility: A general view of the RM5mil temporary bus terminal.]

Lim said both express buses and local buses, including Rapid Penang buses, would utilise the 28 parking bays at the terminal.

“The bays should be enough as we anticipate fewer than 20 buses using the terminal at any given time.

“Also, each bus will be allowed to park for up to 15 minutes only,” he said.

Lim said work on the RM2bil Penang Sentral transportation and logistics hub could begin once the new terminal started operations.

The project’s first phase, which involves the construction of a permanent bus and taxi terminals with access to the railway station and ferry terminal, he said, would be ready by July 2011.

“Penang Sentral’s developers have pro-mised to give me a copy of the project’s master plan next month.

“I am confident that the project will materialise, as it is part of the Federal Government’s Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) initiative,” he said.

The former bus terminal, sited at the Penang Port Commission (PPC) Complex, could not be used after fire razed the complex in May 2001.

Fruit seller Mohd Sulaiman Ray Abdullah, 31, said proper toilet facilities were badly needed at the terminal, noting that presently commuters had to travel a distance to use the one in the railway station.

“It has been very inconvenient trading temporarily by the five-foot way. We hope the hawker centre will be built soon,” he said.
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/4/14/north/20933386&sec=North

[GWR]

July 19, 2008 18:49 PM
First Phase Of Penang Sentral To Be Ready By 2011

BUTTERWORTH, July 19 (Bernama) -- Construction of the first phase of the Penang integrated transport terminal, dubbed Penang Sentral, will begin in the first quarter next year, and be completed by 2011.

This was disclosed by Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

Penang Sentral, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on July 31, last year, is one of the federal government's projects to provide a comfortable integrated transport hub under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).

The overall project, to be built on the site where the old bus terminal was located, costs RM2 billion and is expected to be completed before 2015.

"The construction of the first phase costs about RM300 million and will comprise convenient transportation link for trains and buses," he told reporters after launching the Penang Sentral temporary transport terminal here today.

The temporary terminal built on a 0.97ha site, and costing about RM5 million, will be the new terminal for buses and taxis in the area until Penang Sentral is ready to commence operation.

Nor Mohamed said the temporary terminal developed by Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) offers 33 ticket counters, 28 bus platforms, 46 taxi bays, suraus, toilets, escalators and police counters.

"Since it is located just beside the ferry terminal, the temporary terminal could facilitate 4,500 users daily, and about 80,000 users monthly," he said.

The minister also disclosed that the federal government had set aside RM100 million to increase the number of RapidPenang buses from 150 to 350 buses by the end of next year, in a bid to upgrade the efficiency of the state's public transport.

He said with the increase in buses, service links and routes could also be expanded to facilitate 120,000 passengers daily.

Nor Mohamed said the Penang Port Sdn Bhd had also agreed to consider a proposal to extend its service after midnight, especially on weekends and public holidays, to reduce traffic congestions on the Penang Bridge. -- BERNAMA
Non-specific link:
http://www.bernama.com.my/