KUALA LUMPUR – The Penang Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, known as the Mutiara Line, will be extended to Seberang Perai to ensure balanced development across the state and make its benefits accessible to all communities, regardless of ethnicity, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister explained that the decision reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the widespread benefits of this key infrastructure project.
Anwar stated that the proposal originally only covered the island, but after careful review, he recommended extending the line to the mainland. “They (the opposition) asked why the cost of the Penang LRT is so high and why it keeps rising. When the state government presented the project to me, it was only for the island. As a son of Penang, raised in Seberang Perai, I didn’t want the project to be limited,” he said.
“I proposed that the LRT cross the sea to Seberang Perai and reach Penang Sentral. Otherwise, they would claim we’re only focused on the island, favouring the Chinese, neglecting the mainland, and neglecting the Malays. This polemic is unhelpful,” he added, as reported by Bernama.
Anwar was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Traffic Dispersal Project between the Juru Toll Plaza and the Sungai Dua Toll Plaza (PTJSD) at the Seberang Jaya Expo site today.
On October 16, while debating the 2026 Budget in Parliament, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PN-Kubang Kerian) questioned the necessity of the RM16.8 billion project in Penang, suggesting that it was not an urgent priority. Tuan Ibrahim claimed that the project indicated the Federal Government’s focus on Penang, to the detriment of completing the East Coast Expressway (LPT).
The LRT route is estimated to span around 29 kilometres.
Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, dismissed claims about the rising project costs due to uncertainties, explaining that the increase was due to the decision to extend the line to Seberang Perai.
The Mutiara Line will be the first LRT route outside the Klang Valley, featuring a 29.5-kilometre track with 21 strategically located stations.
The extension aims to enhance connectivity between the island and the mainland, alleviate traffic congestion, and improve accessibility. – November 8, 2025