Pahang state government has requested for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project’s rail routes to be extended to include stops in Kuantan, Maran, Temerloh and Bentong, as well as to expand to other districts in the future, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
He said the state government has proposed for the track to extended from Bentong to Raub or Jerantut before it branched to Lipis as well as to add Pekan and Rompin from the line in Kuantan.
“ECRL is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and to start operation in 2027…in the exco meeting about two or three months ago, I was told (for the state government) to make a new application (to add new routes). And not to wait until ECRL is completed and in operation to make the request,” Wan Rosdy said.
“I had asked the state secretary (Datuk Seri Zulkifli Yaacob) through State Planning Economy Unit (BPEN) to proceed with the application.
“This means we are taking prompt action and not wait until ECRL is completed because it may takes a long time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz said the new ECRL route from Bentong to Lipis will connect the rail lines in West of Pahang, that will indirectly spurs local economy along the way.
