King to grace ceremony to install first ECRL track tomorrow

KUANTAN: The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project will officially begin the installation of its first track on Monday (Dec 11) – three years before its scheduled completion date in January 2027. The inaugural track will be laid at the Section 10 ECRL Station Site in Gebeng, and the ceremony will be graced by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Khairi Khalid Abdul Rahman, the regional construction manager (Pahang) for Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL), stated in May that the first track installation will cover the 90km route from Gebeng to Dungun, Terengganu, and is expected to be completed in three to four months.

The installation process will see a rate of 1.5km per day, with Gebeng being the starting location. To facilitate the installation process, materials such as diesel locomotives made by CRRC Ziyang, China, were brought to Malaysia using cargo docked at the Kuantan Port.

The ECRL is under the ownership of MRL, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) company wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated, with China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) serving as the project’s engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning contractor.

Stretching from Kota Baru, Kelantan to the Klang Valley, Selangor, the ECRL aims to become a vital national infrastructure that connects major cities and towns and improves the public transport system in rural areas across four states.

The construction is divided into three sections: Section A from Kota Baru to Dungun, Section B from Dungun to Mentakab, Pahang, and Section C from Mentakab to Port Klang, incorporating a total of 20 stations and 40 tunnels over a distance of over 60km.

With passenger trains set to travel at a speed of 160km per hour and freight trains at 80km per hour, the travel time from Kelantan to the Klang Valley will be reduced to around four hours, as opposed to the seven-hour road journey, which can extend to 12 hours during festive periods.

Besides enhancing the economic development of the West and East Coasts and driving commercial activities, the ECRL is expected to create employment opportunities, with about 23,000 workers required during peak construction and the involvement of 40% local contractors for civil works valued at up to RM10 billion.

Initially launched on August 9, 2017, the mega project faced some setbacks following a change of government in 2018, which led to a nine-month suspension. However, it later resumed with a new alignment before reverting to the original alignment from Mentakab-Port Klang in March 2021, aiming to optimize the national rail transport efficiency.

To resolve alignment issues, the ECRL route was finalized in 2022, with full approval of the C2 Line Railway Scheme signed by the then transport minister through the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad).

Furthermore, the project faced environmental concerns, prompting MRL to reaffirm its commitment to safeguarding the environment, forests, wildlife, and the quality of life of residents along the route. Measures such as the construction of over 145km of tunnels and viaducts to minimize forest reserves loss and facilitate wildlife movement were implemented, with the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) approved in June 2017.

In addition, close collaboration with relevant parties, including the Department of Environment, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), and the Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia, was established. CCCC also allocated RM9 million to Perhilitan to conduct wildlife surveys, surveillance, and conflict mitigation.

– Bernama