SEPANG, April 2 — The Transport Ministry is confident that the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) will be completed on schedule by December 2026 and will be operational from January 2027.
Once operational, the ECRL will reduce travel time between Kota Bharu, Kelantan, and Kuala Lumpur to four hours, compared to a seven-hour car journey.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the line is now 64 per cent complete as of March this year, with ECRL traversing four states: Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Selangor.
“The ECRL project has entered a new construction phase since 2023 with infrastructure works to include the installation of flyover beams, track installation, and the construction of stations and railway depots,” he said.
Loke was speaking at the Ramadan 2024 fast-breaking event with Transport Ministry and ECRL project personnel, together with stakeholders, this evening.
“There are over 1,900 work sites, and almost 650 are active along this 665-kilometre (km) national infrastructure project,” he said.
Excavation works reached a depth of over 8km of the 16.39km long twin-bore Genting Tunnel using a combination of drill and blast method and tunnel boring machine.
“We expect to break through the Genting Tunnel in the second quarter of 2025, making it the longest rail tunnel in Asia,” Loke said.
Bridge works are also progressing well, with the installation of viaduct beams for 155 bridges, out of the total 219 as of February of this year.
Installation works of the 92km track was completed at the end of February, a month ahead of schedule.
The track-laying machine CCPG-500A, used for the first time in Malaysia’s rail industry, has started laying the track for the second phase between Kuantan Port and Maran in Pahang since March 9.
“The second phase of the 97km works is expected to be completed in June 2024, after which track installation works can be carried out between the Dungun and Kota Bharu stretch.
“The electrification system will be installed as early as May this year in the Cherating Station area in Pahang, followed by locations where track installation has been completed,” he added.
— Bernama
