PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) has announced that the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) passenger train will travel at a maximum speed of 160kmh when it begins commercial operations in January 2027. MRL, the project owner, stated that the rail infrastructure, including foundation works, rail track, rail signalling system, and rolling stock, has been specifically developed for a design speed of less than 200kmh.
Since the project’s inception in August 2017, the ECRL has been planned, managed, and implemented as a fast train for passengers. It has not been designed to be a high-speed train, which industry standards dictate to have a running speed of at least 250kmh. The rail alignment has been designed with horizontal curves, superelevation, and gradient that are not on par with high-speed rail track. This is due to a sizable section of the alignment being built in areas with poor soil conditions, hilly terrain, and wide river crossings.
MRL issued the statement to clarify Chinese scholar Victor Gao’s views that the ECRL could increase its speed to 351kmh instead of 160kmh. Gao, chair professor at Soochow University and vice president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, had suggested that the ECRL could be completed ahead of time and increase its speed to outdo Indonesia’s high-speed railway project.
MRL emphasized that the ECRL was primarily designed for cargo transportation, with the projected revenue ratio during operations being 70% freight and 30% passengers. The passenger service has been added but is largely constrained by the design requirements for its freight trains. The ECRL alignment, although using standard gauge tracks, will also cater to the operation of freight locomotives and wagons that will travel at a maximum speed of 80kmh only.
The ECRL passenger train could link Kota Bharu in Kelantan to the Integrated Transport Terminal (ITT) in Gombak, Selangor, in four hours. The 665km-long ECRL will traverse the East Coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang before linking the Klang Valley on the west coast of the peninsula.
