honda-ktm

Transport minister Anthony Loke posted on Facebook yesterday that he has chaired a meeting with Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) and the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) on the need to ramp up ‘Road to Rail’ (transporting goods by rail rather than road) efforts.

“I emphasise that the ‘Road to Rail’ policy must be intensified and the argument that lorries are ‘cheaper’ must be corrected. Getting cheap rates through overloading is unacceptable. One 40-wagon train can reduce 80 lorries on our roads, lowering the risk of accidents and road congestion,” he said.

The road transport department (JPJ) and the transport ministry are cracking down on lorry overloading, although it was reported yesterday that some drivers are showing resistance by jettisoning their loads, and turning off their engines and GPS.

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), expected to begin operations in stages from 2027, is a major project under the ‘Road to Rail’ initiative. One of the 13th Malaysia Plan’s (RMK13) aims is to increase rail goods from 6% to 13%.

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