Emerging transport hub? Temporary bus terminal is part of RM2 billion Penang Sentral project
(September 16th, 2008)By DERRICK VINESH of The Star Newspaper
AFTER a frustrating seven-year wait, the RM5mil Penang Sentral temporary bus terminal in Butterworth, Penang, will finally be fully operational by the middle of next month. The terminal, which is presently used by Rapid Penang buses after a soft opening in July, will be open for use by other local buses and interstate express buses after Hari Raya, said Penang Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng. Lim said additional buses for Hari Raya would be allowed to use the terminal before the official opening. He said although the bus terminal was ready in March, its opening was delayed to allow construction on an adjacent hawker centre. “Now that the hawker centre is completed, we can go ahead with the terminal’s official opening. The Seberang Prai Municipal Council felt that it would be more sensible to officially open the terminal together with the hawker centre after Hari Raya. “This is because there are fewer customers patronising the hawker stalls during the current fasting month,” he said in an interview. Lim said both express buses and local buses would utilise the temporary bus terminal which has 28 parking bays and 34 ticketing counters. This terminal, he said, would be used until the RM2bil Penang Sentral transportation and logistics hub project there was completed. He said the project’s first phase, which involved the construction of permanent bus and taxi terminals with access to the railway station and ferry terminal, would be ready by July 2011. The former bus terminal, sited at the Penang Port Commission (PPC) Complex, could not be used after fire razed the complex in May 2001. Last year, Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) and Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputra Bhd were given the task to develop the hub within the same area. Lim said the hawker centre had 68 lots, noting that it was sufficient to accommodate legal hawkers presently trading at the current site under a flyover near the Butterworth railway station. “The council’s enforcement officers, MRCB security personnel and the police will be deployed at the temporary terminal to ensure smooth traffic flow, especially during the festive season,” he said. He said once the terminal was fully operational, the present site would be fenced up to prevent buses from parking there.