ECRL fares not yet announced, still being refined: MRL

You might have come across social media posts indicating the fare rates for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). However, Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) has clarified that any fares that are currently circulating on these channels are merely speculation and do not represent the actual rates that will come about when the rail service begins operating in January next year.

In a statement, the rail operator said that fares for the service have not yet been officially announced, and were still being refined through discussions with stakeholders. These include the land public transport agency (APAD) to ensure that fares remain affordable, competitive and user-friendly, in line with the goal of providing quality public transport services.

“Therefore, the public is advised not to make any assumptions or conclusions based on unverified information. The official fares will be announced by the ministry of transport after the assessment and approval process is finalised,” it said in the statement. It added that the fares will take into account the interests of the public and provide the best value to consumers.

When it is completed, the 665 km-long Kota Bharu-Port Klang rail project is expected to cut travel time to four hours from seven by road (or over 12 hours during festive seasons). Phase 1 (Kota Bharu-Gombak Integrated Terminal) is scheduled for completion by December 2026, with operations set to begin in January 2027. Phase 2 (Gombak-Port Klang) is expected to be completed by December 2027 and become operational by January 2028. As of end-January, the completion rate of the project was at 91.7%,

It has also been reported that the ECRL may be extended to Rantau Panjang, which is on the Kelantan side of the Malaysian-Thai border; Sungai Golok being on the other side. It was previously reported that the planned extension was in the initial discussion stage.

The rail service will have 11 EMU train sets, which will have six cars each. One EMU can ferry 425 passengers in a full economy class configuration. The 160 km/h train will have toilets, luggage racks, F&B counter, bilik solat with wuduk area and OKU-friendly features. There will be mobile phone reception throughout the alignment.

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