ECRL operator Malaysia Rail Link said it is eyeing to launch the commercial operations of the train service by mid-December 2026, in line with the Ministry of Transport’s (MOT) request to debut the national rail infrastructure’s services during the year-end school holidays instead of the scheduled January 2027 timeline.
MRL, the project and asset owner of the ECRL, announced that the mid-December 2026 target was realistic underpinned by positive test results shown during the System Integration Testing (S.I.T.) of the ECRL rail network which encompasses among others signalling, communications, traction power, and the overhead catenary system (OCS).
It noted the mid-December 2026 target was also backed by the commitment by ECRL Project’s engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPCC) contactor, China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC), to complete and formally handover Phase 1 (Kota Bharu-Gombak) of ECRL’s mainline, stations, buildings, and work sites to MRL by mid-October 2026.
MRL Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Sri Darwis Abdul Razak, said he was pleased with ECRL Project’s Phase 1 (Kota Bharu-Gombak) progress of 98.16 percent as at September 2026, and expressed confidence to meet its operational target by mid-December 2026.
MRL, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance (Incorporated) [MOF (Inc.)], is the project and asset owner of the ECRL. MRL holds a 50 percent stake in ECRL Operation Sdn Bhd (EOSB), which is a 50:50 joint venture company between Malaysia and China to operate and maintain the ECRL rail network.
The 665-km ECRL network will run through the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang before connecting to Selangor on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Once operational, ECRL is expected to cut travel time between Kota Bharu and Gombak to about four hours, compared with around seven hours by road transport.
