MARAN: All East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) track installation works in Kelantan and Terengganu covering a distance of some 400km will be completed by March next year.
ECRL's Section 10 deputy project general manager Chen Jian said track laying works on Section A (Kota Baru-Dungun) covering a distance of 230km will begin in July this year before its scheduled completion in the first quarter of 2025 while Section B (Dungun-Mentakab) has to date been completed till Sungai Ling (Maran) here.
"Track works covering a distance of 92km under phase one between Kuantan Port City (KPC) and Dungun in Terengganu was completed in February and phase two between KPC and Maran with a length of 97km ends today. In July, works under phase three between Dungun and Kota Baru, Kelantan will begin.
"Once the track-laying process between Dungun and Kota Baru is completed in March next year, it will mark the end of all track-laying works in Kelantan and Terengganu. The last phase of track works will be between Maran and Gombak which is in Pahang and Selangor respectively," he told reporters when met after the completion of the Phase 2 track laying process between KPC and Maran today.
Earlier, the CCPG-500A track laying machine completed the final 100m stretch under phase two at Sungai Ling here today.
Chen said all track laying works for the entire 665km stretch traversing four states: Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor will be completed at the end of next year.
On March 20 this year, Malaysia Rail Link chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak announced that track installation works between KPC in Gebeng, Kuantan and Dungun were completed a month ahead of schedule.
Last year, Pahang Public Works, Transport and Health Committee chairman Datuk Mohammad Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff said track installation and transportation works were facilitated by six customised diesel locomotives measuring 22m in length with a maximum speed of 100km per hour.