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KUALA LUMPUR (March 17): Malaysia’s flagship East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major rail project designed to connect the country’s less-developed east coast states with the Klang Valley economic hub, entered into its testing and commissioning phase following the completion of track construction and key system installations.
As of February 2026, the project has achieved about 93% overall completion, with track laying now fully completed along the 519km alignment between Kota Bharu in Kelantan and Gombak in Selangor.
“With the track now fully laid and electrification underway along the Kota Bharu–Gombak alignment... the arrival of the EMU (electric multiple unit) marks the start of 8,000km of Fault-Free Run testing and commissioning,” said Deng Bo, managing director of China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd (CCCECRL) in a statement on Tuesday.
CCCECRL serves as the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contractor for the project, while Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) is the project owner responsible for overall implementation.
MRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance (Inc).
The latest development brings the railway closer to the start of passenger and cargo services scheduled for January 2027, Deng said.
Spanning 665km and comprising 20 stations, the ECRL is among Malaysia’s largest infrastructure projects and forms part of broader regional connectivity initiatives linked to China’s Belt and Road framework.
The rail line is scheduled for full completion by end-2026, with operations for the Kota Bharu–Gombak section expected to begin in early 2027. Meanwhile, the second segment connecting Gombak to Port Klang, Malaysia’s largest maritime gateway, is expected to be completed in 2028.
According to the statement, the track-laying works began in December 2023 during a ceremony officiated by the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, at Kuantan Port City in Pahang.
From there, the alignment progressed northwards from Kuantan Port City to Maran, then to Dungun, before reaching Kota Bharu. These segments covered approximately 92km, 95km and 206km respectively, paving the way for the final stage of track installation and the completion of the Kota Bharu–Gombak alignment.
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