The East Coast Rail Link railway project connecting the east coast states of Peninsular Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur began in August 2017, and is expected to begin operations in late 2026 or early 2027.
Unfortunately, it has recently been reported that there have been several theft incidents, where equipment such as 1200 meters of signal cables and 81 units of electrical transformers have been stolen along the completed railway line.
Malaysia Rail Link said that these incidents were carried out by thieves using common equipment such as wire cutters, and have vehicles that can be used to quickly remove the equipment.
According to a report by The Star, thieves have reportedly stolen equipment from at least seven ECRL stations, including Paya Besar, Cherating and Kuantan Port City in Pahang; Chukai, Dungun and Kemasik in Terengganu and Pasir Puteh in Kelantan.
MRL CEO Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said that incidents of cable theft are common. But for the ECRL project, the equipment used is specially developed for the project and it will take up to six months to get new orders.
He also said that repairing the signal cable connections and electrical transformers at these stations and ensuring that they operate smoothly may cause MRL to have to delay the opening of the ECRL train service.
The ECRL train service is supposed to start a test phase around June 2026 before it is officially launched at the end of 2026, and begin its first operation in January 2027. In early May 2025, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that the ECRL project was 82.45 percent complete.
Currently, MRL is working with the police to try to find the thieves, and asking parties such as scrap and recycling businesses to see if the equipment has been sold or not.
They will also begin installing CCTV in the station construction areas to try to curb future cases of equipment theft.