The RM41.7 million restoration and upgrading of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) East Coast Line’s Gemas-Mentakab stretch, which started in 2016, was finally completed on June 19, Bernama reports.
Transport minister Anthony Loke said the line can now support up to 20 tonnes per carriage, which supports road-to-rail (transporting goods by rail rather than road) efforts.
“This project is important to ensure the continuity of the East Coast railway route as it spans several states, namely Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Kelantan. Therefore, this is a rail artery connecting the East Coast and West Coast via Gemas.
“With the completion of the project, we can look into improving services and enhancing connectivity between the East Coast and West Coast, while ensuring connectivity for communities living along the route,” he said today.
The project was supposed to have been completed in 2019, but the East Coast floods severely damaged the track and the original contractor failed to complete the works according to schedule, Loke said.
The transport minister added that Package B (Mentakab-Gua Musang) was completed ahead of schedule, while Package C (Gua Musang-Tumpat) is still facing delays due to implementation issues by the contractor.
He said the Gua Musang-Tumpat stretch is among the most challenging sections as it was the most flood-damaged and goes through forested areas, interior regions and landslide-prone slopes.
Loke also said he has instructed KTM to look into increasing service frequency and time them with ETS schedules to minimise wait times.
“Currently, there are only three return trips daily for the Gemas-Kuala Lipis route. What is important is that passengers can change trains at Gemas with a waiting time of about 10-15 minutes before continuing their journey on the ETS, especially towards Johor Bahru Sentral,” he said.
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