BENTONG: The Genting tunnel at the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is a crucial component to shorten travel distance between Bentong to Kuala Lumpur, said former Transport Minister Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai.
Liow said the ECRL will cut short the travel time between Bentong and the Gombak integrated transport terminal near Kuala Lumpur to only 28 minutes.
On a good day, it takes an hour if one is driving, but on a bad day, the journey can easily exceed two hours.
“It will help to decongest the Karak Highway,” said Liow.
The railway will promote ecotourism in Bentong and economic growth for the eastern corridor of the peninsula, said the former Bentong MP at the launch of the tunnel boring machines by the prime minister yesterday.
Liow, who was also the Transport Minister when the ECRL project began in August 2017, regarded Bukit Tinggi as the window to enter the East Coast states, and added that the ECRL alignment shortened the journey to more populated areas, hence benefiting more people.
Liow also said many locals in Bentong were relieved and happy that the tunnel boring work had begun for the Genting Tunnel.
“I would say, at last, common sense has prevailed after the Bentong portion was cancelled during Pakatan Harapan’s time, and it’s great we managed to get it back now.
“It means a lot to our people here, not only for relieving the congestion along the Karak highway but also for shortening travel time between Bentong and KL,” said Liow.
When Pakatan came into power after the May 2018 general election, it wanted to shift the northern alignment of ECRL’s Section C (from Mentakab to Port Klang via Bentong) to a southern alignment that passes near Seremban and Putrajaya before reaching Pulau Indah.
