Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link Starts Trial Operations: Gombak to Kota Bharu in Under Four Hours, With Launch Targeted for December 12
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) began trial operations on November 7, the final stage of operational readiness before commercial passenger services targeted to begin on December 12. Project owner Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) announced the programme in a statement that day.
The trial operations, running from November 7 to December 2, are conducted by ECRL Operation Sdn Bhd, a 50:50 joint venture between MRL and China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd. Trains run in both directions between Gombak in Selangor and Kota Bharu in Kelantan, providing express and stopping services to the planned commercial timetable, with boarding passes issued and cabin crew services provided, to assess operational readiness, service efficiency, station management and the passenger experience.
The first train departed the Terminal Bersepadu Gombak station at 7:00 a.m. sharp and arrived at KotaSAS station in Kuantan, Pahang, at 8:28 a.m., carrying 170 passengers at speeds of up to 160 km/h. The train continued to Kota Bharu, arriving at 10:58 a.m., a journey of under four hours.
MRL said the trial follows completion of system integration testing and a successful fault-free run on October 29. As of October 2026, construction of Phase 1, the Kota Bharu-Gombak alignment, had reached 98.47%. Phase 1 has 16 stations, and further information on ticket sales and passenger services will be announced in mid-November. Phase 2, from Gombak to Port Klang, is scheduled for completion in December 2027, with operations expected from January 2028.
(Source: Bernama)
Source: Bernama
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：马来西亚东海岸铁路的 EMU-001 动车组（资料图）。kaya-yu 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: An ECRL EMU-001 trainset (file photo). By kaya-yu, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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