THE Transport Ministry will study the concerns among Serendah folk in Selangor regarding a proposed East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) line near their homes, amid calls by them for an alternative route to be identified.
The ministry said more engagement sessions would be held with residents in Taman Desa Kiambang, Taman Melati and Kampung Tok Pinang to discuss the matter.
“We are optimistic that a win-win situation is achievable as this national infrastructure will benefit locals in future.
“It will also inject momentum into the local economy by enhancing its transport, logistics and service industries,” it said in a statement to StarMetro.
Some 50 residents recently attended a townhall session in Kampung Baru Damai to air their worries about the rail project.
They were concerned about the track, which they said was too close to their houses, as well as a planned cargo hub at the Serendah Baru ECRL station.
The session was attended by representatives from Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL), a company under the ministry that is in charge of the ECRL project.
Taman Melati Land Lot Residents Association chairman Peragalathan Birasamy said the proposed line would affect at least 15 houses which their occupants would have to vacate.
He urged the authorities to consider an alternative proposal to place the ECRL route further north, away from the housing schemes.
Meanwhile, Taman Melati Bungalow Lot Residents Association secretary Badrul Hisyam Mohd Noor raised concerns about a planned cargo hub in the area.
“We are worried that there will be future plans to expand the storage capacity, causing more houses to be demolished to create space.
“This is why we want the line to be located farther from our homes, to accommodate any future expansion plans,” he said.
The Serendah Baru Station was planned as an interchange station for the KTM Port Klang line.
It would allow cargo trains from Padang Besar and Butterworth to skip the Rawang-KL Sentral stretch on their way to Port Klang.
At present, this stretch is facing a scheduling bottleneck for having to share the track with passenger trains such as ETS and KTM Komuter.
MRL head of railway management Saifuz Zaman Aziz assured residents that more engagement sessions would be held to hear their views.
“Only last week, a public hearing session was held with residents of the adjacent Kampung Datuk Harun.
“There are still several steps that must be done before the track location is finalised.
“The matter still needs to be discussed with the Selangor government and the local authority for approval,” he said.
On Nov 2, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong told Parliament that having ECRL pass through northern Selangor was hoped to reduce congestion on the KTM line.
The railway in Serendah is part of Section C, a 170km-stretch from Temerloh, Pahang, that will pass under the Main Range before emerging near Gombak.
From there, the line will pass through Serendah in Hulu Langat before heading towards Kapar on its way to Port Klang.
This northern alignment line has stations in Temerloh, Bentong, Gombak, Serendah Baru, Puncak Alam, Kapar and Jalan Kastam, before branching into the North and West Ports.
The Puncak Alam and Kapar stations are considered provisional, which means they will not be built yet, but land will be set aside should the need arise in future.
