New ECRL alignment will protect Klang Gates Quartz Ridge

PUTRAJAYA: The new East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) alignment will leave the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge and the nation’s silica reserves untouched, says Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Importantly, the new alignment will also prioritise cultural, heritage and environmental factors by avoiding the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge in Gombak, Selangor, the longest pure quartz dyke in the world,” he said when announcing the resumption of the ECRL project yesterday. Later at a press conference, Dr Mahathir was asked what the other considerations for the ECRL’s new realignment were, particularly bet­w­een Port Klang and Putrajaya.He noted that one factor was to avoid the need to tunnel through the nation’s mountain ranges.