Transport in Penang

The first roads in the capital city of Penang, George Town, were created in 1786, soon after its founding by Captain Francis Light. Light Street, named after Light himself, was the first street to be laid out. By the end of the 18th century, the original settlement of George Town was bounded by four streets – Light Street, Beach Street, Chulia Street and Pitt Street.[4]

A trishaw peddling the streets of George Town.

George Town was the first British settlement in Malaya. Thus, the city served as a testbed for the relatively novel forms of transport during the colonial era, and, by the early 20th century, could boast the best public transport of all cities in Malaya.

A trolleybus in George Town in the 1920s.

One of the earliest modes of transport in Penang was the horse hackney carriage, which was widely used between the late 18th century until 1935. By then, the rickshaw (jinriksha) and later the trishaw, also known locally as beca in Malay, became popular. To this day, the trishaw, an icon synonymous with colonial Penang, is still in use in George Town, albeit mostly for sightseeing rides by tourists.[5][6]

Other famous modes of urban public transport in colonial Penang were trams and trolleybuses. The first steam tramway commenced operations in the 1880s, making George Town the first city in Malaya to be equipped with trams. Electrical trams were also introduced in 1905. Meanwhile, Penang's first trolleybus was launched in 1925.[7] Trolleybuses soon supplanted the trams and remained popular until the post-war years.

In 1961, George Town's trolleybus system was discontinued.[7] Henceforth, Penang's urban public transport system came to be dominated by regular public buses.[8][9]

However, the public bus services, which were operated by a number of competing private companies, were deemed unsatisfactory.[10][11][12] Following the collapse of Penang's public bus services in 2004, the Malaysian federal government intervened by tasking Prasarana, a government-linked firm, to take over the state's ailing public transport system.[13][14][15] As a result, Rapid Penang was launched in 2007.[16]

George Town was intended by the British as an entrepôt, and for much of its history, its harbour facilities along the Penang Strait had contributed to the growth of the Port of Penang as one of the main harbours in British Malaya, aside from the Port of Singapore. By the early 20th century, the Port of Penang had become a major transshipment hub in Malaya, funneling exports which had bypassed other regional ports and channeling for export some of the major Malayan commodities, including spices, rubber and tin.[17][18][19][20]

However, the role of the Port of Penang has greatly diminished since the revocation of Penang Island's free port status in 1969; the concurrent development of Port Klang near Kuala Lumpur further reduced the Port of Penang's trade volume.[21][22] In 1974, much of the Port of Penang was relocated to Butterworth on mainland Seberang Perai.[23]

Penang International Airport, prior to its most recent renovation in the 2010s.

Penang is also home to the oldest ferry service in Malaysia. Launched in 1894, it became the first cross-strait transport link between Penang Island and mainland Seberang Perai; for many decades, it was also the only form of cross-strait transport until the opening of the Penang Bridge in 1985.[24] This shuttle ferry service was rebranded as Rapid Ferry in 2017.[25]

The Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas was completed in 1935, becoming the first civilian airport in British Malaya. The first flight into the airport by a local airliner, Wearne's Air Service (WAS), was launched in 1937, linking Penang with its fellow Straits Settlement, Singapore.[26][27]

Since then, the airport has been renovated twice; originally named the Bayan Lepas International Airport, it was given its present name in the 1970s.

The Butterworth railway station is a major train station within Peninsular Malaysia, with services by both the Malayan Railway and the State Railway of Thailand.

Penang has about 34.9 km (21.7 mi) of rail track within its borders. The Malayan Railway's West Coast Line runs through Seberang Perai, with the Butterworth railway station serving as the main railway station in northern Malaysia, due to its transport links to Penang Island. The other major train stations within Seberang Perai include Bukit Mertajam and Nibong Tebal.

Aside from the regular Malayan Railway services along the western states of Peninsular Malaysia and into Singapore, the Butterworth railway station is the southernmost terminus of the State Railway of Thailand's Southern Line (via Padang Besar) and the International Express from Bangkok. Notably, the train station is also one of the main stops of the Eastern and Oriental Express service between Bangkok and Singapore.

Trains are not a popular mode of transport due to their low speed and the availability of express interstate buses which are more convenient, as well as the high rates of car ownership amongst Penangites.

Second Penang Bridge

The 13.5 km (8.4 mi) long Penang Bridge

Asian Highway 2 signage along the North–South Expressway near Butterworth.

Penang Island is connected to the mainland via two cross-strait bridges - the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. The older Penang Bridge, opened in 1985, is 13.5 km (8.4 mi) long, linking Gelugor on Penang Island with Perai on mainland Seberang Perai. Further south is the 24 km (15 mi) long Second Penang Bridge, which runs between Batu Maung on the island and Batu Kawan on the mainland. Completed in 2014, it supersedes the older first bridge as the longest bridge in Southeast Asia.

The North–South Expressway, a 966 km-long (600 mi) expressway through western Peninsular Malaysia, runs through Seberang Perai. After exiting either one of both bridges, commuters can directly use the expressway to get to the other major cities and towns along western Peninsular Malaysia.

The Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) is a 14 km (8.7 mi) tolled expressway that primarily serves Butterworth, Perai and Seberang Jaya to ameliorate the upsurge in vehicular traffic due to the intense urban and industrial development.

On Penang Island, the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway stretches along the eastern coast of the island between George Town and Batu Maung to the south, passing through the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and the suburbs of Jelutong and Gelugor. A bypass also links the expressway with the Penang Bridge. Other than that, the Federal Route 6 is a winding trunk road that circles Penang Island, hugging the island's coastline to connect, in clockwise direction, George Town, Bayan Lepas, Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang.

The Penang Middle Ring Road, which is composed of Scotland Road, Green Lane and Jalan Tengku Kudin, is an important ring road within George Town, allowing vehicular traffic to bypass the busier roads within the city centre.

Rapid Penang buses at Weld Quay, George Town

Public transit buses, now solely run by Rapid Penang, remain the main mode of urban public transport system within Penang. As of 2016, Rapid Penang operates a fleet of 406 buses and 56 routes throughout the Greater Penang Conurbation, including routes into neighbouring Kedah and Perak.[28][29] 30 of the 56 routes are within Penang Island, with a handful of these pan-island routes equipped with double-decker buses as well. Also among the routes are free-of-charge services, such as the Central Area Transit, the Congestion Alleviation Transport and the Pulau Tikus Loop.[30]

Recently, open-air double-decker buses, known as Hop-On Hop-Off buses, have been introduced for tourists in George Town.[31]

Rapid Penang usage has seen an increase from a lowly 30,000 commuters a day in 2007 to 96,000 commuters a day in 2017.[28][32] Annually, Rapid Penang ridership has fluctuated somewhat, reaching a peak of 31.1 million in 2011.[33]

Penang Hill Railway

The Penang Hill Railway, a funicular railway to the peak of Penang Hill, is the only such system still in operation in Malaysia. Completed in 1923, it was considered an engineering feat of sorts at the time. The railway underwent an extensive upgrading in 2010 and was reopened in early 2011.[34] It now serves visitors travelling up the Penang Hill, providing quick and direct access to the hill's peak.

As of 2014, the number of passengers of the funicular railway reached 1.365 million.[35]

Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal

Penang has two main interstate express bus terminals - Penang Sentral in Butterworth and the Sungai Nibong terminal on Penang Island. These two terminals handle interstate express bus operations into and out of Penang, catering to local and foreign passengers heading towards other states within Peninsular Malaysia, and into Singapore and southern Thailand.

A LinkBike station near Komtar in George Town. This public bicycle-sharing service was launched in 2016.

In recent years, the Penang state government, in collaboration with the Penang Island City Council, has stepped up initiatives to make George Town a cyclist-friendly city.[36] These efforts, which are part of the wider efforts to reduce traffic congestion and elevate the city's liveability standards, include the creation of cycling paths and the implementation of bicycle rental services.[37][38]

As of 2016, a 12.5 km (7.8 mi) long cycling track between Komtar and Queensbay Mall has been completed as part of a planned 39.3 km (24.4 mi) long network of cycling paths throughout George Town.[39] The Penang Island City Council has also funded a bicycle-rental service, LinkBike, which was launched in 2016. This service requires the use of smartphones to rent a bicycle at any of the 25 electronically-operated stations within George Town.

In addition to LinkBike, a number of private companies have also offered bicycle rental services for use within George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site.[40]

In 2015, Uber launched services in Penang, one of the first metropolitan areas in Malaysia to allow such a service.[41][42] A similar service, Grab, followed suit in 2016.[43] These ride-hailing services have provided cheaper and safer alternatives for Penangites and tourists alike. In 2017, Uber revealed that Penang was its fastest growing market in Malaysia, with "thousands of drivers" and over 100,000 users within the state.[44][45] Of the local users, 28% commuted to work daily with Uber and 20 percent utilised the application for weekend trips within Penang.

As of 2017, the construction of Penang Sentral, a major transport hub in Butterworth along the lines of KL Sentral, is ongoing. Located adjacent to both the Butterworth railway station and Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal, it is intended to house the termini for ferry, bus (both public transit and interstate express buses) and train services within Penang under one roof, and was mooted as Penang's answer to the monolithic Kuala Lumpur Sentral. The first phase of the project, which includes the ticketing facilities for the various transport services, is scheduled for completion in 2017.[62]

The Penang state government has drawn up plans to bring in more rail-based transport systems throughout Penang. The Penang Transport Master Plan envisages the following long-term solutions to counter the state's worsening traffic congestion, which is compounded by Penang's abnormally high vehicle ownership rate and the state's limited space for urban development.[1][2]

• A Light Rail Transit line between George Town and Bayan Lepas
• Two monorail lines that connect George Town with Air Itam, Paya Terubong and Tanjung Tokong[63][64]
• A tram line limited to within George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site[65]
• Cross-strait cable car line linking Komtar in George Town and Penang Sentral in Butterworth[66]

Currently, the Light Rapid Transit line between George Town and the Penang International Airport, also known as the Bayan Lepas LRT line, is being allocated the top priority by the Penang state government.[67][68][69] In April 2019, the LRT project was received conditional approval from the federal government. Construction is expected to start in June 2020.[70]

On 1 July 2020 it was announced that Gamuda Bhd would be the project delivery partner (PDP) for the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).[71]