The Penang state government has approved land acquisitions for the Penang Mutiara LRT project, involving over 100 private and government-owned lots, including properties under the Penang Island City Council. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow stated that affected lots in the northeast and southwest districts will be gazetted, with compensation hearings to follow. The evaluation process is expected to take three months before finalising compensation amounts.
Progress on the project includes a value management workshop with the Economy Ministry, MRT Corporation, and SRS Consortium to refine the design and costs. A new alignment from MacCallum to Penang Sentral is under review, alongside ongoing soil investigations. The tender for Package Three, covering system work and ticketing, has been extended to April 15 due to strong interest. Physical construction is expected to begin in Q3 2025.