Malaysia's mega rail project to facilitate balanced development: PM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a mega rail project in Malaysia being built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), will facilitate balanced development, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday.

The connectivity improved by the ECRL will help integrate the Southeast Asian country's developed west coast with its less developed east coast through better mobility as part of a wider public transport system, Anwar said at the launch of the construction of the railway's first station in Kelantan state.

"The ECRL project is a catalyst that can balance the economy of the East Coast with the West Coast because this rail infrastructure can stimulate investment and commercial activities, offer job opportunities and boost the tourism sector and the manufacturing sector in the states of the East Coast Economic Region," he said.

The prime minister said the project has brought a number of socio-economic benefits for Malaysians with 2,100 Malaysian companies including contractors, consultants and suppliers participating in the mega-project.

He said that rail transport will be a very important mode of transport in the future due to the sustainability factor in terms of fuel costs for transport operations to achieve Malaysia's net zero emissions target by 2050.

A major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the ECRL runs from Malaysia's largest transport hub Port Klang and travels across the peninsula to Kelantan state in northeastern Malaysia. The rail link is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the country upon its completion.