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This post has been edited by propusers: Jun 15 2017, 10:40 AM

Malaysia has hailed an upcoming railway linking its east coast to Port Klang on the west coast as an "alternative trade route", claiming that a projected 53 million tonnes of cargo will bypass Singapore annually by 2030.



At a ground-breaking ceremony for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) attended by a high-level Chinese delegation yesterday, Prime Minister Najib Razak said the rail link "is a high-impact project that will seamlessly link the Klang Valley with the states of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan".

The RM55 billion (S$17.5 billion) rail link, which will be built and funded by Chinese state firms, is slated for completion in 2024.

"The viability of the ECRL is undisputed as it is estimated that 5.4 million passengers and 53 million tonnes of cargo will use the ECRL service annually by 2030 as the primary transport between the east and west coast," Datuk Seri Najib said at the event in Kuantan, capital of his home state Pahang.

It is in Kuantan that a new deepwater port, also jointly developed with China, will be joined to the west coast via the ECRL to Malaysia's main port in Klang. "Hence, regional trade routes mainly centred on the busy Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea via Singapore, may leverage on the ECRL transportation, which can cater for the movement of bulky items in large volumes at lower cost," he added.

Mr Najib said the 668km line would boost the eastern region - which lags behind the rest of the country - raising economic growth by 1.5 per cent a year.

China's State Councillor Wang Yong, head of the Chinese delegation, said the electrified rail project would promote regional connectivity and was a display of bilateral economic cooperation.

Analysts said China is "keeping all options open" in securing trade routes across the Indian Ocean to its shores.

Mr Jaafar Ismail of Fergana Ventures, a Malaysian advisory firm that specialises in infrastructure and resource-based projects, previously told The Straits Times that the Port Klang to Kuantan Port "land bridge" could provide a "significant resolution" to China's over-reliance on the Malacca Strait.

Still, analysts note that the 53 million tonnes Kuala Lumpur hopes will be carried via the ECRL each year is less than 10 per cent of what the Port of Singapore handles now.

"Singapore will still be very important for the short to medium term. It is arguably still one of the most efficient ports with massive carrying capacity," senior fellow Johan Saravanamuttu of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies told The Straits Times.

The ECRL, which will have 12 passenger, three freight and seven combined stations, will go north from Kuantan, Pahang, to the state of Kelantan near the Thai border.

The state-owned China Communications Construction Company will build the line, with China Exim Bank providing 85 per cent of the capital at an interest rate of 3.5 per cent.

The opposition in Malaysia has argued that the rail link is unlikely to generate sufficient revenue to repay the loan from China, while critics say Malaysian firms will not reap the benefits of the project.

However, Mr Najib said China had agreed to set aside 30 per cent of the project for local contractors.

The opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition said yesterday that the resources poured into the new rail link are at the expense of the 6,000 rail workers working for the national rail company, which will not be operating the new project.

A statement signed by coalition members noted the rail link will not be owned by the national rail company but by a new firm wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance.



http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/e...al-to-singapore

This post has been edited by propusers: Aug 10 2017, 09:59 AM

Complete 2 yrs earlier than hsr even tho d length is double of hsr's length.

Hsr shud award 2 china co mayb can complete within 3 yrs

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak urged China to complete the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) before 2024, calling the project a game and mindset changer.

Mr Najib made the comments at the groundbreaking ceremony of the ECRL in Kuantan on Wednesday (Aug 9).

Last year, China extended funding to Malaysia to build the rail link connecting the east coast of peninsular Malaysia to its west coast, from Pengkalan Kubur in Kelantan to Port Klang in Selangor.

The China Communications Construction Company was also awarded the contract for the procurement, engineering, and construction of the project.



Speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday, Mr Najib said 85 per cent of the RM55 billion (US$13 billion) project will be financed with a soft loan with 3.25 per cent interest from the state-owned Exim Bank of China. The loan will have a seven year moratorium, he added.

The remaining 15 per cent to be funded through Malaysia’s sukuk programme, which is managed by local banks.


The project, Mr Najib said, will cut travel time between Kota Bharu and Port Klang significantly from the current seven hours to four hours.

It will also stimulate growth in coastal states of Pahang Terengganu and Kelantan by 1.5 per cent and bring benefits to the combined population of 4.4 million in these states, he added.

The prime minister noted that the successful completion of the ECRL will provide an alternative trade route connecting the east and west coasts of peninsular Malaysia. The regional trade route centered on the Strait of Malacca may also leverage the ERCL to move a large volume of goods at a lower cost, he said.

The ECRL is expected to create 80,000 jobs, and about 5.4 million passengers and 54 million tonnes of cargo are expected to use the service annually by 2030.

Addressing concerns that the construction of ECRL will only benefit Chinese companies, Mr Najib said Malaysian contractors will be given at least 30 per cent of high impact projects.

The ground-breaking ceremony was witnessed by a large delegation of Chinese officials led by China state councillor Wang Yong, who was acting as special envoy of President Xijingping.

Mr Wang hailed the project as a flagship of China belt-and-road initiatives and a strong pillar of ASEAN connectivity.


Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapa...re-2024-9108022

This post has been edited by propusers: Aug 10 2017, 10:05 AM

hrm...boots up at area ..

What is the railway gauge ECRL use?

Wide or meter gauge?

standard as china, no longer meter gauge

Why bentong station such far from town?

Really fainted to see phase 2 ITC Gombak to Port Klang route...

Let's comment:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mi...6337897944&z=12

serendah not practical with that money RM8.25 Billion for such tunnel.

my guess, batu caves - sg buloh - kapar - port klang,

- still similar likes old guess in the map but the last portion will be nearer to kapar

songlap to the max for the tunnel part

Kenya's new railway at a glance:
Cost $3.2bn (£2.5bn)
Funding for the 470km (290 miles) project was provided by China
It took three-and-a-half years to build, using Chinese track-laying technology
The line is supposed to eventually connect land-locked South Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia to the Indian Ocean
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40092600



malaysia VS kenya
--------------------------------------
600.3km VS 470KM

12.8Bil(USD) VS 3.2Bil(USD)

China fund and built VS China fund and built

21.3Million USD per KM VS 6.8Million USD per KM

--------------------------------------------------------
MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!!!
WORLD CLASS EXPANSIVE AND WORLD CLASS SOCHAI .

This post has been edited by llika: Aug 21 2017, 07:24 PM

Why the needs to built the expensive tunnel??
Can just change the routes, so it would be cheaper..

I feel sorry for Malaysia next generation and the next.

they are the one that will fund the lifestyle of our rulling politicians today.

Because HIGH COST , HIGH REBATE

macam Putrajaya loh....

they dig a hole to make a lake, and build an iconic bridge over it........

Wastage
I'm sure, the ROI will be low...
Meaning incoming 50years concessions agreement

High donation?

Video presentation for the ECRL Ground Breaking Ceremony in Kota SAS Sentral Station Site, Kuantan, Pahang on 09th August 2017