The government will not consider building light rail transit (LRT) or mass rapid transit (MRT) lines from the mainland to Langkawi, says transport minister Loke Siew Fook.
He said it “does not make sense” to build an LRT line from Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis to Langkawi, over distances of around 50km and 30km respectively.
“That would definitely require massive expenditures,” he said when winding up the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Loke said the government will instead upgrade the facilities at the jetties in Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis.
“We have other proposals to increase connectivity between Langkawi and both Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis . Among others, we are studying the introduction of more modern and comfortable ferries,” he said.
Last week, Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi) again proposed in the Dewan Rakyat the construction of LRT or MRT lines to Langkawi, after an earlier proposal was rejected by Loke in 2023.
At the time, Loke said building such lines across the sea would be difficult and the transport ministry had not yet received a proposal from the Kedah government to build an LRT line in Langkawi.
