Wednesday May 26, 2010
Phase one of RM2bil Penang Sentral project can’t be ready by July 2011
By DERRICK VINESH
Star
CONSTRUCTION work on the first phase of the RM2bil Penang Sentral transport and logistics hub may not meet its July 2011 completion deadline due to delays in land acquisition.
MRCB Utama Sdn Bhd project manager (project/property) Zamri Mat Zain said the company was still in the midst of negotiating with several stakeholders on land acquisition and land alienation matters.
“Phase 1 and Phase 1A of the project involve land belonging to the Railway Authority Commission (RAC), Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) and the state government.
“We are working closely with both the Federal Government and state government to expedite the matter,” he said during a meeting between Penang Port users and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat recently.
Zamri said the delay was basically due to the land acquisition process which was expected to take some time to settle.
He, however, said the other areas of the project’s development were going on well.
Last November, MRCB executive director Datuk Zaki Zahid had said that work on the Penang Sentral project, covering 12ha of land near the Butterworth ferry terminal, was expected to take off this year.
Zaki also said that the project’s first phase costing RM300mil, which involved the construction of permanent bus and taxi terminals with access to the railway station and ferry terminal, along with retail outlets, was to be completed by 2011.
The second phase, which would comprise a commercial hub, including office towers, service apartments, a hotel and waterfront amenities, was scheduled for completion by 2015.
The Penang Sentral project, developed by Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) in partnership with Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Berhad (PHBB), is part of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) initiative.
Both companies formed a joint venture company, called Penang Sentral Sdn Bhd, which would undertake the development of the transport and commercial hub.
MRCB Selborn Corporation Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of MRCB has been appointed to manage the development, design, construction, completion and maintenance of Penang Sentral.
Designed by local company, Veritas Architects, the state-of-the-art Penang Sentral project was launched by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on July 31, 2007.
The transport hub is expected to cater to approximately 65 million passengers a year.
A RM5mil temporary bus terminal was completed near the project site in March 2008.
The former bus terminal, sited at the Penang Port Commission (PPC) Complex, could not be used after fire razed the complex in May 2001.
A recent check by The Star at the project site showed that apart from being used as a temporary bus depot, there were no signs of construction work in progress.
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Phase one of RM2bil Penang Sentral project can’t be ready by July 2011
By DERRICK VINESH
Star
CONSTRUCTION work on the first phase of the RM2bil Penang Sentral transport and logistics hub may not meet its July 2011 completion deadline due to delays in land acquisition.
MRCB Utama Sdn Bhd project manager (project/property) Zamri Mat Zain said the company was still in the midst of negotiating with several stakeholders on land acquisition and land alienation matters.
“Phase 1 and Phase 1A of the project involve land belonging to the Railway Authority Commission (RAC), Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) and the state government.
“We are working closely with both the Federal Government and state government to expedite the matter,” he said during a meeting between Penang Port users and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat recently.
Zamri said the delay was basically due to the land acquisition process which was expected to take some time to settle.
He, however, said the other areas of the project’s development were going on well.
Last November, MRCB executive director Datuk Zaki Zahid had said that work on the Penang Sentral project, covering 12ha of land near the Butterworth ferry terminal, was expected to take off this year.
Zaki also said that the project’s first phase costing RM300mil, which involved the construction of permanent bus and taxi terminals with access to the railway station and ferry terminal, along with retail outlets, was to be completed by 2011.
The second phase, which would comprise a commercial hub, including office towers, service apartments, a hotel and waterfront amenities, was scheduled for completion by 2015.
The Penang Sentral project, developed by Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) in partnership with Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Berhad (PHBB), is part of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) initiative.
Both companies formed a joint venture company, called Penang Sentral Sdn Bhd, which would undertake the development of the transport and commercial hub.
MRCB Selborn Corporation Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of MRCB has been appointed to manage the development, design, construction, completion and maintenance of Penang Sentral.
Designed by local company, Veritas Architects, the state-of-the-art Penang Sentral project was launched by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on July 31, 2007.
The transport hub is expected to cater to approximately 65 million passengers a year.
A RM5mil temporary bus terminal was completed near the project site in March 2008.
The former bus terminal, sited at the Penang Port Commission (PPC) Complex, could not be used after fire razed the complex in May 2001.
A recent check by The Star at the project site showed that apart from being used as a temporary bus depot, there were no signs of construction work in progress.
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Construction of Penang Sentral to start next year
November 17, 2009
Star
CONSTRUCTION work on the RM2bil Penang Sentral project in Butterworth is expected to kick off next year.
Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) executive director Datuk Zaki Zahid said land acquisition, which was progressing smoothly, would take some time to be completed.
He said MRCB and Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Berhad (PHBB) were discussing matters with the land stakeholders which included the state and Federal Governments and also Penang Port Sdn Bhd.
“The project will kick off with the construction of an integrated transport terminal,” he said.
“We are in discussion with the Transport Ministry and the Economic Planning Unit through the Northern Corridor Authority to obtain the funds,” he told reporters after presenting uniforms, bags and school items to 300 students from three schools in Penang. He added that the three schools were adopted by MRCB under the Pintar programme.
He said the first phase of the Penang Sentral project costing RM300mil involving the building of bus and taxi terminals along with retail outlets was expected to be completed by 2011.
The subsequent phases of the projects will be developed by MRCB and other investors, with the whole project expected to be completed by 2015.
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Jan 20, 2009
Star
Penang Sentral project hits another snag
Star
Penang Sentral project hits another snag
By DERRICK VINESH
BUTTERWORTH: The RM2bil Penang Sentral transportation and logistics hub project has hit another snag with the Seberang Prai Municipal Council unsure of where to relocate 66 licensed hawkers.
The new temporary hawker centre would make way for a car park and an access road under the project.
State Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng said the hawkers would be “homeless” for about six months to allow the construction of the car park and access road.
“The council had earlier agreed to surrender the piece of land, now occupied by the temporary hawker centre, some six months before issuing the certificate of fitness for the project’s phase one development.
“So if the council fails to surrender the land in time, it would be in breach of contract. If it does surrender the land as per the contract, where will the hawkers go?” he said on Tuesday.
Lim said the hawkers used to run their business legally at the former Penang Port Commission Complex until fire gutted the building in May 2001. He said they were then promised top priority to rent units in the project’s permanent building that would be constructed under phase one.
The project’s first phase involved the construction of permanent bus and taxi terminals with access to the railway station and ferry terminal, and was slated for completion by July 2011.
Lim said the council and the project developers -- Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd and Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputra Bhd -- were presently trying to find an amicable solution.
He noted that the actual work on the Penang Sentral project had not begun because planning approval for its phase one development had yet to be finalised.
So far, only a RM5mil temporary bus terminal and the temporary hawker centre have been completed, he said.
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Penang Sentral to take shape next year
Saturday July 19, 2008 MYT 8:01:18 PM
Staronline
By YENG AI CHUN
By YENG AI CHUN
BUTTERWORTH: Construction of the RM2bil Penang Sentral project will start in the first quarter of next year, said Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.
He said the transportation hub for Penang and the Northern Corridor, comprising an integrated terminal for rail, road and sea travel, would be constructed in two phases, with the first to be completed in 2011.
“The first phase is the transportation hub while the second phase is the commercial hub.
“The completion of the second phase depends on the viability (of the project) but I think it might be completed before 2015,” he said Saturday after launching of the Penang Sentral temporary bus terminal here.
Nor Mohamed said the first phase comprises terminal lanes for buses, taxis and several floors of retail space.
“We would unveil the conceptual plan during the groundbreaking ceremony. The plan has yet to be approved by the Seberang Prai Municipal Council,” he said.
Earlier, Nor Mohamed said the completion of the RM5mil temporary terminal was a sign that the Federal Government is committed in providing an efficient and quality public transport to the masses.
Nor Mohamed added that the Penang Sentral project has long been discussed even before it was included as a Northern Corridor project.
“In the issue of Penang Sentral, we see close cooperation between the State Government and Federal Government," he said.
Present at launch was state Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng, Seberang Prai Municipal president Farizan Darus, Penang Sentral Sdn Bhd chairman Kamalul Arifin Othman, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad chairman Datuk Azlan Zainol and Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Bhd chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Md Yusof.
The construction of the bus terminal which began in August 2007, was completed in January this year. The terminal has 28 bus platforms and 46 taxi bays and is designed to handle up to 4,500 passengers per day.
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Source : The Star
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.
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.
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.
On another matter, Ahmad said Penang Port did not suffer any loses during the 90-minute power failure that hit the state on Tuesday.
“The power failure lasted about an hour but we had our generator set and UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to back us up. The port was not affected,” he said.
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