GEORGE TOWN, March 1 (Bernama) — The Federal Government is considering bringing back the iconic Penang ferry, which services were terminated in 2020.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the ferries were still available for service and there are plans to have them operational once again in the future.
“We will look into what form of operation this iconic ferry will take, whether it will be a tourist ferry, a roro ferry or a museum ferry. We will hold discussions with the Penang Port Commission (PPC) regarding this later,” he told reporters after a one-day visit to Penang today.
Loke also said the plan could face some challenges in terms of operation as the old terminal had long been refurbished to accommodate the new ferries.
“The refurbishment project on both the island and mainland terminals currently cannot accommodate iconic ferry operations involving four-wheeled vehicles,” he said.
After being the oldest form of transport in Penang, the iconic ferry service, as an alternative route from Seberang Perai to the island and vice versa was replaced by speedboat services starting Jan 1, 2021.
The speedboats are only used to transport pedestrians while the iconic ferry only carries motorcycles and bicycles.
Meanwhile, Loke said the new ferry services will begin operations on Aug 1 carrying only pedestrians and motorcycles.
He said although there had been requests for the new ferry service to also transport four-wheeled vehicles, the four new ferries pre-booked only have the capacity for pedestrians and motorcycles.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency