Modeled after KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, the first phase of Penang Sentral will serve as the terminal for both public and intercity buses, and is physically connected to the adjacent Butterworth railway station and the Penang Ferry terminal. The project will eventually comprise an integrated terminal for all bus, rail and sea transportation services within Penang. Future phases of the project also include commercial, retail and residential developments.[2][3]
Veritas Architects was put in charge of the design works of the proposed transit-oriented development, while the construction of Phase 1 was allocated to a subsidiary of MRCB, Penang Sentral Sdn Bhd.[7][8] Penang Sentral was modeled after KL Sentral, which also incorporated commercial and residential elements.[5] The entire project was divided into eight phases, of which the second, third and fourth phases comprised a shopping complex, three office blocks and a 36-storey hotel respectively.[1]
However, since its launch in 2007, the Penang Sentral project has suffered repeated delays. Land acquisition became the main stumbling block, as the parcels of land earmarked for the development were owned by several parties, namely the Malaysian federal government, the Penang state government, highway concessionaires and Keretapi Tanah Melayu, the national railway operator.[1][9] As a result, construction of Phase 1 of Penang Sentral only began in earnest in 2015.
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