Responding to a statement from a Selangor assemblyperson yesterday that the railway line touted to connect the west coast and east coast did not feature the link between Port Klang and Gombak, SPAD said the public display only featured the part where the feasibility study for the project has already been completed.
“The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) railway scheme currently undergoing public display features the sector of the project that is ready for implementation, and therefore there is no ‘missing link’, as alleged.
“In accordance with the requirements under Section 84 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010, the Public Display was conducted following SPAD’s conditional approval on Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL)’s proposed railway scheme for Phase 1 covering only the 600.3km from the Integrated Transport Terminal (ITT) Gombak to Wakaf Bharu,” the SPAD statement said.
Yesterday, DAP’s Yeo Bee Yin said it was surprising that the important segment that connects the ECRL’s Gombak station to Port Klang, on the west coast was missing from the public display.
“Only the Titiwangsa range to Gombak part is shown in the display, while a big portion of the Selangor part of ECRL is left out from the public display.
“According to SPAD personnel, the ‘missing link’ from Gombak to Port Klang, which is at least another 60km, will be in the second phase of the project,” the Damansara Utama assemblyperson said.
Yeo had pointed out how the government and supporters of the ECRL had argued that the RM55 billion ECRL project would be a game changer by connecting ports on the east and west coast, namely Kuantan and Port Klang.
Even Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai had told the Dewan Rakyat last November, when wrapping up his ministry’s 2017 Budget debate, that the ECRL “will be used to ferry passengers and cargo from Kuantan Port to Port Klang”.
SPAD explained that a detailed feasibility study is currently ongoing for the ITT Gombak to the Port Klang link of the ECRL, saying when due processes are completed, then SPAD will hold a public display of the conditionally approved railway scheme for this alignment prior to execution, as required under the Act.