“We target that the progress rate at the four states involved in the project to increase by 37 per cent this year,” he told reporters after attending the state-level `MESRA ECRL’ programme in Tunjong here today.

Also present were state police chief Datuk Shafien Mamat and the eight village heads involved in the ECRL project.

Darwis said works on the ECRL project in the other three states were also in progress.

“The land acquisition for the project in Kelantan has been completed, with progress currently ongoing in Pahang and Terengganu and will start soon in Selangor,” he added.

MESRA ECRL programme, Darwis said, was a new initiative introduced this year to provide clear views on the project to the villagers involved in the land acquisition process.

“The programme will give a clear picture to the people about the progress of the project. A similar programme will also be carried out in other states involved,” he added.

The ECRL is a 665km electric rail network from Kota Baru in Kelantan to Port Klang in Selangor, costing more than RM50 billion.

The construction will include 59 tunnels with a total length of 61 kilometres, as well as several viaducts with a total length of 127 kilometres.

ECRL will have 20 stations across four states, with 10 dedicated stations for passengers and another 10 a combination of passenger and cargo facilities.

The project will benefit the east coast states in terms of business opportunities which are expected to flourish with new jobs being created along with the 23 stations, creating a spillover impact in existing towns and helping to improve the livelihood of the people, especially the small-and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).