Lrt The Way To Go For Penang

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The proposed Penang LRT line from George Town to Bayan Lepas has been touted as the best option.GEORGETOWN: The daily commute can be a nightmare for Penangites.
With an outdated and inefficient bus service, people are forced to drive, leading to congestions on already narrow streets in the city.
It is just as bad in the weekends when droves of visitors come to the island for the one thing that Penang is famous for — food.
Zairil Khir Johari.For state executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari, there is therefore no better time than now to introduce the light rail transit (LRT) system in the state, particularly on the island.
While there have been other proposals, the LRT initiative, which has already been on the drawing board for a decade as part of the Penang Transport Master Plan, is compelling.
Zairil pointed out that the LRT proposal has already been put through the due diligence, assessment and evaluation processes, leaving no doubt that it is the best way to go for Penang at this juncture.
Over the years, there have been other proposals, two of which have received strong support from many quarters. They are the bus rapid transit (BRT) and the autonomous-rail rapid transit (ART).
The case for LRT
A favourite argument among those who oppose the LRT is that the other two systems are less costly.
However, there are other considerations. For a start, Penang is a small island, and streets in the city are narrow, making it difficult, if not impossible, to have dedicated lanes just for the BRT or ART systems.
Demarcating special lanes specifically for buses will worsen the congestion.
On the other hand, the LRT is elevated, making it unnecessary to set aside such lanes at ground level.
“This is the main reason we have opted for the LRT,” Zairil said.
Speed is another major consideration, according to Poh Seng Tiok, a fellow with the Institute of Civil Engineers (UK), with more than 27 years of experience in large scale mass transit.
Poh Seng Tiok.Poh, who is currently the managing director at Asia Infrastructure Solutions, an international consultancy firm, pointed out that the LRT is faster than the ART or BRT, making it more efficient.
At a cruising speed of 70kph, the LRT is capable of whisking passengers past traffic jams easily and quickly.
Unlike the slower ground level systems, the LRT is more likely to get people to opt for public transport over driving their own cars.
“From an engineering perspective, the LRT system represents a multifaceted solution to Penang’s transport problem,” Poh said.
“It not only addresses current transportation inefficiencies but also anticipates future demands for urban commuting,” he added.
Poh said that while the LRT would be good as a “starter pack”, other modes of transport like the BRT can be compatible as the last mile connection.
Such systems can be introduced later to complement the LRT by functioning as a feeder system similar to that on other island cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong, where a faster and higher-capacity main rail network is supported by other lighter and slower systems.
Among others, Poh’s professional credentials include his tenure in Singapore’s Land Transport Authority and Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transport Corporation. He has led the planning and designing of many railway projects in Asia.
For Zairil and his colleagues in the state government, the LRT is an investment in the future, not just a quick fix.
Given that George Town is a dynamic city, transportation needs are expected to rise quickly, making scalability essential.
Proven record
Unlike the LRT system, the ART has yet to prove that it is viable on a large scale.
Rail and transit systems expert TC Chew, a fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), pointed out that the LRT is a well proven rail-based transportation system that can be very reliable and flexible to meet passenger expectation.
“When the system configuration is done well, the LRT can be built with input from multiple sources, preventing a monopoly that can lead to higher cost,” he said.
“Furthermore, the modular design of the LRT makes the system easier to expand,” he added.
Chew is currently the director of global rail business at Arup United Kingdom and formerly served at MTR Corporation in Hong Kong.
He has decades of experience working on diverse rail transit systems, including metros, light and heavy rail and high speed rail.
Chew said that with a fully automated LRT system with dedicated right of way, when demand rises, the trains can run at two-minute intervals compared with four or six minutes during off-peak hours.
The fact that it can be scaled up to meet future needs is another advantage that the LRT has over other systems, Chew added.
On the other hand, the ART comes with limited capacity, making it difficult for the system to keep pace with the rapid increase in the demand for public transport in future.
The system was first introduced in China in 2018 and until today, it has not been deployed on a large scale in many places outside the people’s republic.
The lack of evidence to show that it is suitable for Penang’s complex urban environment makes it difficult to justify its deployment.
On the other hand, the LRT comes with several advantages that make it suitable for Penang.
It has been deployed on a large scale in major cities and has proven its capability as a people mover.
In the context of safety which is of paramount importance in any public transport system, the LRT system has also proven to have more than met the requirement.
It is automated and driverless with dedicated corridors, thus reducing the risk of human error significantly.
In addition, the robustness of its automation technology has been tested and proven across a wide range of conditions globally.
For instance, sensors within the system also ensure that commuters can board and disembark from the train safely.
The way forward
This ability to navigate complex urban landscapes efficiently puts the LRT ahead of any other transport systems.
The LRT train runs on elevated tracks, making it possible to “fly” over a multitude of traffic junctions and to manoeuvre with ease.
An elevated LRT also minimises service disruptions caused by flooding, giving it an advantage over street-level BRT or ART.
This offers greater resilience in an environment facing the challenge of changing climate.
The cost of the project and its subsequent maintenance will be borne entirely by the developer and operator of the system respectively.
For Zairil, these factors make the LRT the best system to serve the needs of Penang. - FMT

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