The  East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), which is 640 km long, is scheduled to operate early as on 1 January 2027.

Deputy Ministry for Finance 1, Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the  ECRL, which could link Kelantan and Terengganu and Pahang eastern shore of the mainland with Negeri Sembillan, the Putrajayan Federal Territory and Klang Valley, was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. 

In the next few decades, he said the project would be a catalyst for East Coast and the country in general for economic development.

"This project is also expected to boost trade between Malaysia and China. Being a China-funded project, we hope the country's commodity exports, in particular oil, gas, palm oil, rubber, and manufactured products, can penetrate the Chinese market more widely.

"When the COVID-19 pandemic ends, there will be an influx of Chinese tourists for sure, and the country's tourism revenue will also increase," he said in a statement after attending a briefing on the mega infrastructure project.

In comparison to the current double track with three meters of gage, the ECRL will use the standard rail to allow the construction of rolling stock carriages at a speed of 160 km / h.

"The standard gauge can use high-speed trains of over 300 km per hour, depending on the service operator’s requirement,” Abdul Rahim said.

ECRL 2.0 track, named after a reduction in project costs, is decreased from the original 688 km by 48 km to 640 km, with a reduction from 26 to 20 train stations.