KUANTAN: Construction work on the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), the country’s mega-rail project, in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Selangor has reached an overall progress rate of 78.5 percent as of January.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Dr Amir Hamzah Azizan described the encouraging progress as being in line with the completion of the ECRL’s first phase between Kota Baru, Kelantan, and the Gombak Integrated Transport Terminal, scheduled for December 2026.
“The first phase will be fully operational starting January 2027, and the second phase, between Gombak and Port Klang, will be completed later the same year.
The second phase is set to begin operations in January 2028.
“The ECRL is a transformative project connecting Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang to the Greater Klang Valley, as well as enhancing connectivity and unlocking vast economic opportunities across these regions.
“It will help reshape the east coast region’s accessibility, opportunities, and accelerate development in this part of the country,” he said in his speech when launching the Sustainable and Development Goals (SDG) Sukuk Impact for the ECRL project at the Section 10 project site in Gebeng here today.
Meanwhile, Amir Hamzah, when asked about the possibility of the ECRL beginning operations before 2027 since construction work was ahead of schedule, replied that it was best to wait and see how things develop.
“We’ll wait first. What is important is that the project is moving ahead of schedule.
“Once complete, we have to perform the necessary tests before allowing it to operate.
“As for now, we will operate on Jan 1, 2027,” he said.
When asked if the ECRL could be operational much earlier, Amir Hamzah briefly replied: “InsyaAllah (God willing), we hope…we will see when the time arrives.”
On the proposal to extend the ECRL to other districts in Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu in the future, Amir Hamzah replied that the priority now is to complete the existing rail track network and make it operational.
“Once the ECRL is up and running, then we could look into other potential and possibilities,” he said.
In 2023, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the state government would request that the ECRL be extended from Bentong to Raub or Jerantut before going to Lipis, and that the route through Kuantan could include Pekan and Rompin.
In his speech earlier, Amir Hamzah described the SDG Sukuk Impact Reporting 2024 as displaying the unwavering commitment of the government and Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) towards sustainability and transparency in developing the ECRL.
“In April last year, MRL achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Finance Ministry company and the first in the transport industry to establish an SDG Sukuk programme.
“This groundbreaking effort raised RM 4.50 billion in 2024 to fund the ECRL.
“The SDG Sukuk issuance attracted overwhelming interest from investors and achieved the tightest spread for a government-guaranteed sukuk in Malaysia’s history.
“This success earned prestigious accolades, including Best Islamic Finance Deal in Southeast Asia and Best Green Sukuk 2024 by Alpha Southeast Asia, further reinforcing Malaysia’s global leadership in Islamic finance and sustainable development,” he said.
The 665km-long ECRL, costing RM50.27 billion, will cover Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu, through to the Klang Valley.
Also present were MRL Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak and Pahang Public Works, Transport and Health Committee chairman Datuk Razali Kassim.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/