KUALA TERENGGANU: Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) is preparing for the monsoon season, expected to hit later this year to ensure that all forms of assistance can be channelled immediately in the event of a flood disaster in the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) Project route area.
MRL chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said his party had made early preparations at all levels to ensure that operations and project routes were not affected, in addition to helping channel assistance in the affected areas.
"At our level, preparations have been made to ensure that in the event of any incident, aid can be channelled through ECRL as has been done in previous years.
"We will also continue to provide commitment to ensure that support and aid can be delivered to areas that have been identified as potentially affected by floods," he said when met by reporters after a working visit to the Kuala Terengganu ECRL Station on Wednesday (Oct 29).
Darwis said his party has identified several high-risk areas that are potentially affected every time the monsoon season occurs, especially in the Terengganu and Kelantan alignments.
"So far, almost the entire alignment in Terengganu is potentially affected, but the most critical, like last year, is the Pasir Puteh area in Kelantan. We have taken preventive measures and are ready to act if an unexpected incident occurs.
"Weather factors and the monsoon season have also been taken into account in the planning and completion schedule of the ECRL project to ensure that construction work can be carried out safely and in an orderly manner," he said.
He added that most of the risk areas have been identified and appropriate mitigation actions have been taken to reduce the impact of flooding on the local community and the project construction works.
"However, we do not rule out the possibility that there are still other areas that could potentially be affected. If an incident occurs due to the ECRL works, we will take full responsibility and implement immediate corrective actions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Darwis said the overall progress of the ECRL project has now reached 88.08 per cent while for the alignment in Terengganu it has reached 93.55 per cent.
"For the two stations visited today, namely the Bandar Permaisuri Station is 77 per cent completed while the Kuala Terengganu Main Station is at 68 per cent,” he said.
Earlier, Chief Secretary to the Government and MRL chairman Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the ECRL Phase 1 alignment from Kota Bharu to the Gombak Integrated Terminal is expected to be completed in December 2026 and operational in January 2027, while Phase 2 from Gombak to Port Klang is expected to be completed in December 2027 to enable the entire project to be fully operational in January 2028.- Bernama
