KOTA BHARU, Jan 20 — Construction work of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) Project in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Selangor is expected to record a progress rate of 37 percent this year.
Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said the infrastructure works involved earthworks, bridge and piling works in the four states.
“The land acquisition process in Kelantan has been fully completed while in Pahang and Terengganu it is still ongoing and it will be implemented in Selangor as soon as possible,” he told reporters after attending the ‘Mesra ECRL’ programme at the Batik Craft Innovation Centre near Tunjong here today.
Commenting further on the ECRL construction work in Kelantan, Darwis said infrastructure works has progressed to 16.34 percent as of Dec last year involving 18 locations.
“The MRL is optimistic that the ECRL project in the state, which covers a length of 43.86 kms, will be completed on schedule by the end of 2026.
“The total workforce for the ECRL project in Kelantan so far is 672 employees, of which 73 percent are locals,” he said.
Meanwhile, Darwis said the ‘Mesra ECRL’ programme which was held for two days in Kelantan starting today was a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to benefit the local soio-economy, people and environment.
“During the programme, the MRL also took the opportunity to hold an open interview session for the ECRL Industrial Skills Training Programme (ECRL-PLKI) by offering positions to those interested in working as construction site technicians and heavy machinery mechanics,” he said.
The 665-km rail network, which includes 59 tunnels with a total span of 61 kms, as well as several flyovers with a total length of 127 km, is estimated to cost RM50.27 billion and is scheduled for completion in Dec 2026.
The construction involves the Alignment of Section A from Kota Bharu (in Kelantan) to Dungun (Terengganu) while Section B from Dungun to Mentakab (Pahang) and Section C from Mentakab to Port Klang (Selangor).
— Bernama
