IPOH, July 17 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that the government could approve a Light Rail Transit (LRT) project that would connect Penang island with the mainland.

Loke said that the project could materialise as Putrajaya had previously approved an LRT project on the island connecting Bayan Lepas to Komtar in George Town, Free Malaysia Today reported.

"But Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told me we can’t only have LRT on the island. We need to connect the island and Seberang Perai,” he said.

Loke was reported as saying this in front of a huge crowd at the "Ceramah Madani” held at Seberang Jaya expo ground last night.

The DAP secretary-general said that he is confident that the project could be carried out with the support of Anwar, who is also the finance minister.

"This would ease Penangites to cross over (to Seberang Perai), and this (the project) would definitely spur the economy (of Penang),” he was quoted as saying.

In January, the Penang government’s online site Buletin Mutiara reported that caretaker Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow as saying that the state government was waiting to discuss the proposed George Town-Butterworth LRT link with both Anwar and Loke.

He said the proposed project would be an extension of the island’s LRT project, and connect the KTMB railway line from Butterworth to Bayan Lepas.