KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) is targeting mid-December 2026 to begin commercial operations of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), bringing forward the previously scheduled January 2027 start.
In a statement, MRL, the project and asset owner of the ECRL, said the revised target followed a request from the Transport Ministry for services to begin during the year-end school holidays.
It said results from system integration testing, covering areas including signalling, communications, traction power and the overhead catenary system, supported the mid-December target.
Phase 1 of the ECRL, covering the Kota Bharu-Gombak section, was 98.16% complete as at September 2026.
Engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contractor China Communications Construction Company Ltd is expected to complete and formally hand over Phase 1 to MRL by mid-October.
MRL said fault-free runs involving electric multiple units (EMUs) for passenger services and electric locomotives for freight would begin this month, earlier than the previous November schedule.
The Land Public Transport Agency has agreed to a 3,000km fault-free run for the first EMU, while subsequent units will undergo 1,500km runs.
The first electric locomotive will also undergo a 3,000km fault-free run, including 2,500km with maximum formation and load. Subsequent locomotives will undergo 1,250km runs under various load and formation scenarios.
MRL chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said the accelerated timeline would not affect the safety and technical requirements of the testing and commissioning process.
“Every stage, from the handover to the Fault-Free Run (FFR), is being carried out in accordance with the same stringent safety and technical standards.
“While the timeline has been compressed to facilitate commercial operations by mid-December 2026, we are not compromising on safety, quality or the integrity of the testing and commissioning process.
“We are working with greater intensity and efficiency, while maintaining the standards required to ensure the ECRL is safe, reliable and ready for passenger and freight operations,” he noted.
Separately, MRL said the ECRL Comprehensive Inspection Train recently completed a non-stop 519km test journey from Gombak to Kota Bharu in three hours and 19 minutes at speeds of up to 160km per hour.
The result indicated that an express passenger service between Gombak and Kota Bharu, with stops at KotaSAS and Kuala Terengganu, could be completed within four hours.
MRL said integration testing of the ECRL ticketing system and payment gateway was ongoing, while passenger fares are expected to be announced towards the end of the year.
The 665km ECRL will connect Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang with Selangor. MRL, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance (Incorporated), is the project and asset owner of the rail network.
MRL, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance (Incorporated), is the project and asset owner of the ECRL.
MRL holds a 50% stake in ECRL Operation Sdn Bhd, which is a 50:50 joint venture company between Malaysia and China to operate and maintain the ECRL rail network.
