KUALA LUMPUR — The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) Phase 1 service connecting Kota Bharu and Gombak could begin operations as early as December, ahead of its original January 2027 target, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said.
Loke said the earlier launch would depend on the successful completion of ongoing testing and commissioning works, including the System Integration Testing (SIT) and Fault-Free Run (FFR), while ensuring that all safety requirements remain fully met, Bernama reported.
He said Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) and main contractor China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) would need to accelerate the remaining processes to enable the rail service linking Kelantan and Selangor to start by the end of the year.
“We are trying to see how the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) can help facilitate matters related to the testing and certification processes to expedite this project without compromising safety.
“Usually, it takes two to three months, so we want to see how we can shorten that time,” he said at a press conference after launching the Comprehensive Inspection Train (CIT), unveiling the main ECRL station design concept, and marking the start of the SIT and FFR for the project at the Gombak Integrated Terminal Station here today.
Loke said the move to bring forward the operational date was based on the assessment that several train tests had already been conducted before the train sets were shipped to Malaysia, including factory testing in China.
He said the SIT, which began this month, would assess the integration of various systems, including electrical and signalling components, before the FFR phase begins in September.
Under the FFR process, the first train set and E-Loco will each be required to travel 8,000 kilometres under APAD supervision to ensure their operational safety and reliability comply with established standards and legal requirements.
“FFR is one of the important processes before commercial operations because the train will move on the track under real conditions, but without carrying passengers,” he said.
Loke stressed that all previous testing requirements must be completed and approved before the FFR phase begins, adding that efforts to speed up the timeline would not mean any safety procedures would be bypassed.
“We are more afraid than you. I am more afraid than you if there is a risk. Of course, we take all considerations into account,” he said.
Meanwhile, Loke said the ECRL Phase 1 project had achieved 95.08 per cent overall progress as of July.
Phase 1 covers the route between Kota Bharu and Gombak, while Phase 2, which will extend the line from Gombak to Port Klang, is expected to be completed by December 2027, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in January 2028.
Also present at the event were Chief Secretary to the Government and MRL chairman Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Haji Habibollah, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing, Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri M. Jana Santhiran, MRL chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak, and CCCC president Zhang Bingnan. – August 14, 2026