ECRL Hits 82% Completion, Promises 1,800 Jobs - 80% For Locals

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project is now 82.45% complete as of April 2025. The 665km railway is on track, with the Kota Bharu–Gombak stretch due by Dec 2026 and the Gombak–Port Klang section by Dec 2027.

Track installation from Maran to Kota Bharu, spanning 400 KM, finished ahead of schedule with work on the Maran–Bentong stretch beginning this month and is set to complete by June.

Electrification works started in May 2024, with over 9,000 OCS poles installed and around 2,700 left. Tunnel boring has reached 38 of 41 tunnels, with the 16.39km Genting Twin Tunnel expected to break through in Q3 this year.

Station construction is progressing well and is set for completion by mid-2026. Testing and commissioning of the system will begin in June 2026.

Transport Minister YB Anthony Loke Siew Fook shared these updates during the launch of the ECRL’s Operations & Maintenance (O&M) workforce training under the PLKI-ECRL programme.

Once operational in January 2027, the ECRL will require around 1,800 workers, with 80% being Malaysians. The aim is to build a skilled local workforce for modern rail operations.

The PLKI-ECRL programme is now focused on training for the O&M phase. A total of 3,200 trainees will benefit, starting with 210 Malaysians this year.

Of that, 102 trainees will begin one-year training in Liuzhou, China, from 15 May. They’ll learn technical and operational skills for various ECRL roles.

Trainees are guaranteed jobs upon completion and the programme is supported by a RM12 million sponsorship from China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC).

ECRL will use 11 EMU train sets and 12 electric locomotives from CRRC Dalian. The first units are expected by year-end. These new trains will run up to 160 km/h, cutting travel time from Kota Bharu to Gombak to just four hours.

Loke also added that ECRL will help shift cargo from road to rail - an eco-friendly, cost-effective move in line with national transport goals.

He added that efforts are underway to ensure passenger fares remain affordable when operations begin.