Chinese-Malaysian venture wins $640 million job to bridge Penang Strait for light rail

MRT Corp announced the award on Nov. 5. The extension links Macallum Street, on the island, with the Penang Sentral transport hub in Butterworth on the mainland, and the bridge gets navigation spans so ships bound for the Prai and Butterworth ports can pass. MRT Corp expects a Komtar to Penang Sentral ride of roughly eight minutes.

TRC Synergy's Nov. 6 filing to Bursa Malaysia says its subsidiary TRC Construction holds 30% of the unincorporated joint venture and that the contract runs five years, EdgeProp reported. The venture will design and build the viaduct over the water, its navigation spans, one elevated station and related works. The filing gave no start or finish dates, and the stakes held by CCCC and Ufuk Semarak were not disclosed. TRC already holds a RM550.8 million CMC1 subcontract from SRS Consortium for viaduct guideways and stations.

Zairil Khir Johari, the Penang state official in charge of transport, told the state assembly on Nov. 4 that work on the section from Macallum to Penang Sentral should start during the third quarter of 2027, after preliminary works, with completion targeted for December 2031. The whole Mutiara Line is about 29.67 kilometers long, with 20 stations plus two provisional ones. MRT Corp puts overall construction at 16% complete and on schedule.