The East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) project is expected to be completed in December 2026 and operational from January 2027. This will at the same time shorten the travel time covering the four states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor to only around four hours compared to 6.5 hours by car.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the project had recorded progress of 64 percent as of March 2024 and the construction was going smoothly. The dredging of the 16.39km Genting Twin Tunnel is also being carried out with a depth exceeding 8km on both sides of the tunnel. If breakthrough can be achieved in the second quarter of 2025 it could make it the longest rail tunnel in Asia.
Construction of the ECRL began in 2017 before being canceled in 2019. It was then restarted with a realignment of the route to reduce costs. When completed, it will use 11 sets of electric trains (EMUs) of the CJ6 type produced in China consisting of 6 carriages that can carry 440 passengers. Passengers can board the ECRL starting at Westport and ending at Kota Bharu.