GEORGE TOWN: The historic Malayan Railway building here, widely known as the island’s “Big Ben”, will be converted into a boutique hotel, transport minister Loke Siew Fook said today.
He said the once-grand clock tower building, long associated with the old rail system and the customs department, will be restored and repositioned as a key attraction within George Town’s heritage zone.
“It is run-down right now. It looks like an abandoned building, but it will be turned into a jewel. I have signed the papers approving the project to transform it into a boutique hotel,” he said when officiating the Penang Port Commission’s 70th anniversary celebration here today.