KUALA LUMPUR: Phase two of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) between Gombak and Port Klang is scheduled to be completed by Dec 31, 2027, says the Transport Ministry.
The ministry also expects phase one of the ECRL between Kota Baru and the Gombak Integrated Transport Terminal to be completed by Dec 31, 2026.
In a parliamentary written reply dated Monday (Nov 11), the ministry said it had completed a feasibility study on the type of goods the much-anticipated rail project is expected to transport for at least the next 30 years of its service life.
“Projections show an increase in delivery of commodities such as automotive, coal, petrochemicals, palm oil products and so on to the ports.
“As such, various types of wagons will be provided by ECRL to accommodate the cargo such as flatbed wagons, open-top wagons and box wagons with the number of each specific needed wagon also having been projected.
“The design of each ECRL station has also taken this into account to ensure that durability and safety levels remain up to par,” it wrote.
Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PN-Setiu) had asked about the short-, medium- and long-term plans for ECRL stations to be used as cargo transportation hubs.
On Oct 9, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the 665km rail project to connect Klang Valley to the East Coast had reached 72.93% completion as of the end of September.
