GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government has not received any proposal for a magnetic levitation (maglev) high speed rail link between George Town and Butterworth.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he was unaware of such proposal, which was reported by a vernacular newspaper on Monday.

The report quoting sources said Tangshan Railway Vehicle Company, which rolled out the China-made bullet trains late last month was to carry out three maglev rail projects estimated to cost RM1 billion in the country namely between George Town and Butterworth, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan.

It was reported that the company, a unit of China CNR Corporation Ltd, had been invited by MRailways International Sdn Bhd, to explore rail opportunities in Malaysia.

It also said MRails had received a letter of authorisation from Tangshan Railway Vehicle last month for the proposed maglev rail project in Penang on a joint-venture basis.

MRails had recently submitted a proposal to the state government to build a monorail test track in Batu Kawan.

Lim said as far as the state government was concerned, MRails was only being offered a site to build the test track.

Another company is also still in negotiations with the state government to build a monorail test track on the mainland.

The state government has reiterated that the two companies or other interested parties would only be given a one-kilometre narrow stretch of land to build the test track.

"There has been no proposal for the maglev high speed rail link and we have not even been contacted by the so-called parties.

"As for the test track on the mainland, we are not even selling land or giving out any land to anyone. The land is just being leased to the interested parties for a short term period only.

"Any proposals for the high speed rail link between George Town and Butterworth has nothing to do with us.

"It is between the two companies and we have no inkling about this at all," Lim added.

On Monday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat also said there has been no proposal to the ministry.

The trains, used on the Wuhan-Guangzhou high speed railway, can reach 350km per hour.

Speaking at the launch of Giant Hypermarket's three-day no plastic bag campaign, Lim said the state government was contemplating legal action against certain publications for continuously playing up the Batuk Kawan test track issue.

Also present was GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd marketing director Ho Mun Hao.

Lim said despite the state government's explanations that the land was not being sold, nor given out free to the parties, the issue was still being exploited.

"They publish reports and letters which are untrue but refuse to give the state government the right to reply.

"We have no choice but to take them to court for defaming the state government," he added.

Meanwhile Ho said Cold Storage outlets in Penang would start a four-day no plastic bag campaign while Giant Hypermarkets in Penang would take up three days being plastic bag free.

He said the company, which also extended the no plastic bag campaign in Selangor on Saturdays, would look to extend the campaign to other states as well.