Pekan: Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar | Cafe in the Train

KTMB to suspend interstate, intercity train services from Wed

KTMB to suspend interstate, intercity train services from Wednesday (March 25)

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will be suspending its interstate and intercity train services beginning Wednesday (March 25), and not on Tuesday (March 24) as stated earlier.

According to a statement issued on Monday (March 24), the suspension of the services is until the end of the movement control order (MCO) and the effective date was deferred to Wednesday as many commuters have bought the tickets for tomorrow's train services.

Earlier, its chief executive officer Datuk Kamarulzaman Zainal said with the suspension of the services, only two services - Electric Train Services (ETS) and KTM Intercity - would operate daily, compared to eight in the normal situation.

He said KTM Komuter operation would be reduced to 49 services a day for the Klang Valley and north sector while services of several other trains would be continued to serve certain needs.

"This includes the transporting of medical and food supplies as well as the movement of staff of various critical services involved in the enforcement of the MCO," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Kamarulzaman said Skypark Link train services between Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang would be reduced to four services daily, against eight before.

However, he said KTMB would fully suspend Ekspres Rakyat Timuran, Ekspres Selatan and Shuttle Tebrau services until the MCO enforcement ended.

"Passengers can make amendments or cancel their tickets via the website www.ktmb.com.my, ” he said.

Meanwhile, Express Rail Link (ERL) in a separate statement, said it would limit its services, effective Tuesday (March 24) until further notice.

ERL said the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) Ekspres and KLIA Transit will run as a combined service at 30-minute intervals from 6am to 10am, and 5pm to 10pm daily.

"Please note that there will be no train services at other times,” the statement said.

Also, the journey time between KL Sentral and KLIA will take 35 minutes, while all departures at the KL Sentral Station will be from KLIA Ekspres Departure platform. - Bernama

East Coast train operation changes

KTMB announces East Coast train operation changes due to monsoon season



Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has announced some changes involving train services from the Tumpat, Wakaf Bharu, and Pasir Mas stations due to the monsoon season in the East Coast.

KTMB corporate communications chief Ahmad 'Asri Khalbi in a statement today said passengers scheduled to depart from the three stations should instead board the train from the Tanah Merah station.

“Train No. 27 scheduled to depart from Tumpat to JB Sentral at 6.50 pm, will now begin its journey from the Tanah Merah Station at 7.49 pm,” he said, adding that the changes would remain until further notice.

Ahmad ‘Asri said passengers could make changes to the date and time of their respective journeys, or cancel their trip for a full refund.

“KTMB also urges passengers to get the latest updates on train operations in the East Coast by contacting the 24-hour Customer Service Centre at 03-22671200.

"Updates are also available through the official website at www.ktmb.com.my or ‘ktmberhad’ (Facebook), ‘ktmbofficial’ (Instagram), @ktm_berhad (Twitter)," he added.

-- BERNAMA

ECRL Map

Overload caused KTM server crash

Overload caused KTM server crash



KTM Bhd (KTMB) attributed “overwhelming demand” for ETS tickets that caused its ticketing servers to crash on Monday, frustrating tens of thousands of commuters.

The deluge, according to KTMB chief executive officer Datuk Kamarulzaman Zainal, came from the combination of demand associated with year-end school holidays, Christmas, Chinese New Year and Thaipusam, all of which was taking place from December until the end of February.

“We used to sell our tickets on a month-to-month basis but as we managed to secure a confirmed schedule from the contractor of the Klang Valley Double Track (KVDT) rehabilitation, we decided to open up the sale for the three-month block,” he told a press conference.

The KVDT rehabilitation is a massive project that had caused severe disruption to KTMB’s services running within the Klang Valley over the past few years as cargo, intercity, Komuter and ETS trains share either a pair of tracks and at work bottlenecks, only a single track.

Kamarulzaman said KTMB did its calculations before opening for the three-month block for sale on Monday.

“By our estimation, the ticketing system is supposed to be able to deal with the load,” he said adding that KTMB was also saddled with a “legacy” IT infrastructure that was purchased in 2000.

“It took up to 30 minutes to sell one ticket on Monday, and yesterday the time dropped to two minutes.

“We are truly sorry our customers had such an unpleasant experience,” he said, adding that the improvement was the result of several quick measures that were immediately implemented to address the situation.

Firstly, KTMB increased the bandwidth to its servers from 100Mbps to 200Mbps and secondly, it increased the number of central processing units used in its servers from 10 to 15.

For a longer-term solution, KTMB is embarking on a drive to embrace full digitisation of its infrastructure and services with substantial progress to be seen by the third quarter of next year.

“We already have a consultant studying our system so that it could be revamped.

“We expect to use ticketing systems that are on par with those used in aviation ticketing, as far as stability and reliability are concerned,” he said, adding that KTMB’s servers recorded nearly 400,000 users when sales opened, causing severe congestion.

Despite the chaos, KTMB still managed to sell up to 57,000 tickets by 10pm on Monday, with popular destinations being mostly north-bound, to places like Butterworth and Padang Besar.

A survey by The Star at KL Sentral yesterday found that a sense of calm had returned to the ticketing counters, with customers queuing calmly and orderly.

In Putrajaya, Transport Minister Anthony Loke expressed regret over Monday’s incident and said a substantial revamp of the ticketing system, which has weaknesses, was required.

“To this end, the ministry has directed KTMB to take remedial measures,” he said after attending a conference on bus rapid transit organised by Volvo Buses, Technology Depository Agency and Prasarana Malaysia Bhd.

~The Star~

Resumed ECRL project to spur more development, industrialisation

Resumed ECRL project to spur more development, industrialisation, says Loke



The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project will resume, after nine months of negotiations, with alignments and stations restructured to make it more viable. -- Bernama photo

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project will resume, after nine months of negotiations, with alignments and stations restructured to make it more viable.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the resumption would have a positive impact on the well-being of the people in terms of social economic development.

“Once completed in 2026, we will see more development and industrialisation in the east coast,” he said after THE relaunching of works on the tunnel here today.

“This section from Dungun to Mentakab is the least impacted by the realignment deal.”

The contractors will prioritise works on the tunnels and viaducts along the proposed alignment from Dungun to Mentakab in Pahang over the next one month to propel the construction of the re-negotiated RM44 billion rail network.

The supplementary agreement inked between Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) and China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) on April 12 in Beijing paved the way for the resumption of the ECRL project to proceed at a lower cost, compared with the price tag of RM65.5 billion.

The focus of the renegotiated project will be on the design and physical works of the 14.13km tunnels in 23 locations, as well as preparatory works for 39.03km of viaducts in 65 locations situated within the 223km stretch from Dungun to Mentakab where no rail alignment changes were made under the improved ECRL project.

Earthworks at several ECRL tunnel sites, including the 871m Dungun Tunnel, 1.1km Paka Tunnel, and 2.8km Kuantan Tunnel, and site clearing and pile testing on multiple sites for viaducts have commenced.

Loke said, despite the realignment involving diversions from the original design, the government would keep the option open for future development when the need arose.

Asked whether the project would encourage existing investors in the more developed states to shift or expand their operations to the east coast states, Loke said it could entice existing firms to expand, but more importantly there would be new investments.

“The joint-venture with CCCC ensures new investments.

“We are not building the railway at the expense of other states. We may see expansion, but not relocation.”

The improved ECRL project involves a distance of 640km that will entail rail alignment changes between Kota Baru in Kelantan and Dungun, Terengganu, with the introduction of a new southern alignment from Mentakab in Pahang to Port Klang in Selangor that runs through Negri Sembilan and Putrajaya.

The entire project will see the construction of 30 to 40 tunnels along its alignment from Kota Baru to Port Klang, with the longest tunnel measuring about 7km to be built in the Jelebu-Semenyih area.

The project will also witness the construction of multiple viaducts with a total length of approximately 100km.

Loke said Environmental Impact Assessment reports had been submitted where land clearing had started, and more would be submitted as the project progressed.

“This is a national project. It is apolitical.

“It involves states not won by the present government.

“It is for the country and the people,” he said, adding that it was well-positioned as a national infrastructure project as it linked cities and towns, upgraded public transport in rural areas along its entire 640km rail network that would traverse five states and Putrajaya.

~New Straits Times~

东铁周四正式复工 2026年秒竣工启用

东铁周四正式复工 2026年秒竣工启用



陆兆福（左5）主持东海岸铁道计划复工。左起阿末苏海米、尤索夫依斯迈、凯鲁阿迪、阿米努丁、阿末山苏里、诺若拉扎里、阿都拉曼尤诺斯及达维斯。 东海岸铁道计划（ECRL）复工，预料2026年12月启用。

纷纷扰扰的东海岸铁道计划周四正式复工，交通部长陆兆福披露，若工程一切顺利，东海岸铁道将于2026年竣工，并开始投入运作。

他说，经过与中国交通建设股份有限公司（CCCC，简称“中国交建”）的重新谈判后，这项计划从原本的665亿令吉削减至440亿令吉，减少了215亿令吉或33%。

陆兆福是于周四登嘉楼龙运，主持东海岸铁道计划复工仪式上，这么表示。

他也表示，这项计划的贷款也已经敲定，预料会在近期签署附加合约。

“我被告知马来西亚铁道衔接公司（MRL）与中国进出口银行（China EXIM Bank），将针对东海岸铁道计划的贷款已经敲定。因此，有关东海岸铁道计划贷款附加合约预料会在近期签署。”

他说，根据这项附加合约，中国进出口银行将提供85%的贷款，但由于成本价格削减，因此我国需承担的利息并不高。

“这也意味着政府所承担，由中国进出口银行所提供的贷款利息也减少了。”

陆兆福也提及，东海岸铁道计划全长640公里，主要是借以提升东海岸的公共交通设施。

“一旦东海岸铁道计划完成后，将为国人提供更便捷的交通。举例来说，民众若要从丹州的哥打峇鲁到布城，只需要乘搭4小时每小时160公里的列车，就能够抵达。”

他表示，重新规划的东铁计划将分为3段工程，分别是吉兰丹州哥打峇鲁到龙运的A段，登嘉楼州龙运到文德甲的B段，以及彭亨州文德甲到巴生港口的C段。

“在这3段工程当中，223公里的B段工程的路线没有更改，这个工程占了整个东铁计划的34.8％，而A段工程的路线会有少许更改，C段工程的路线则作出最大 的更改，2段工程全长417公里。”

“东海岸铁道计划共计20个站，其中14个站是让乘客能够上下站，另外5个站是供乘客和货柜，至于另一个站只是用作货柜使用。”

他说，整个东海岸铁道计划，登嘉楼州共计6个站，包括甘榜拉惹（Kampung Raja）、瓜拉登嘉楼、柏拉岸（Pengkalan Berangan）、龙运（Dungun）、甘马仕（Kemasik）及朱盖（Chukai），以及2个供乘客和货柜的站。

“在登州，也需要建造3个地下隧道，这包括龙运隧道、北加隧道（Terowong Paka）及关丹隧道。”

出席这场复工仪式的也包括登嘉楼州务大臣阿末山苏里、森美兰州务大臣拿督斯里阿米努丁、中国驻马大使白天、交通部秘书长拿督莫哈末凯鲁阿迪、马来西亚铁道衔接公司首席执行员那毒死达维斯、董事阿末苏海米及拿督尤索夫依斯迈、中国交建副总裁孙子宇、彭亨州务大臣代表拿督斯里诺若拉扎里、吉兰丹州务大臣代表阿都拉曼尤诺斯等。

陆兆福也表示，东海岸铁道计划启用后，将刺激铁道周边的旅游业，尤其是惠及民宿、酒店及当地的旅游活动业者。

“虽然重启后的东海岸铁道计划将减少站点，但跨越多个州属，因此势必带动东海岸经济走廊的成长，吸引更多外资进驻投资，进而创造更多的就业机会。”

“届时，像是珍拉丁（Cherating）、龙运（Dungun）、瓜拉登嘉楼、督巴里（Tok Bali）及哥打峇鲁。”

陆兆福也宣布，东海岸铁路工业技能培训计划（PLKI-ECRL）将复办，届时将会有约5000名在地学员参与培训。

“在此之前，只有3600名学员参与这项培训计划。”

白天：东铁将改变东海岸经济

中国驻马大使白天认为，东海岸铁路计划（ECRL）项目将改变登嘉楼、吉兰丹和森州等东海岸一带的交通运输与经济发展，并将其称为贸易创造。

“一旦东海岸铁路建竣，将能加强州与州，以及海外市场之间的连接，创造更多的贸易往来。例如，东海岸农民种植1公顷的榴槤，如猫山王。我会想，要如何出售。”

“不过，这些榴槤最终可能会因为运输问题和成本，而被浪费，但如果有铁路，就会不一样。”

因此，他相信，东海岸铁路将能为东海岸社区带来更多的经济活动，包括旅游。

“届时不只会有来自西马的游客，其他国家，包括中国游客都会前来旅游。因此，我相信，东海岸铁路的建成可以让大马中国游客翻倍增长。”

~光华日报~

ECRL is up and running again

ECRL is up and running again

It is confirmed – Malaysia has managed to bring down the construction cost of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project by RM21.5bil, which is almost a third of the original cost.

The new price is set at RM44bil now, down 32.8% from the previous RM66bil.

Tun Daim Zainuddin, who led the negotiations with China, said the latest cost estimate was far more manageable for the government.

“It will also require a smaller loan from Exim Bank, which will further reduce the interest to be paid,” he told Malaysian journalists at the Malaysian Embassy here yesterday.

Earlier yesterday, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd and China Communications Construction Company Ltd signed a supplementary agreement to pave the way for the resumption of the suspended project.

The agreement also saw slight changes to the route from Kota Baru in Kelantan to Port Klang in Selangor, with the length cut by 40km to 648km.

“It will still be double-tracking,” said Daim, who is the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister.

The realigned route will see the rail track diverted to Negri Sembilan from Mentakab in Pahang, bypassing Bentong in Pahang and Gombak in Selangor as planned earlier.

“It will start in Kota Baru, then to Mentakab, Jelebu and Kuala Klawang in Negri Sembilan, continue on to Bangi, Kajang, Putrajaya and end in Port Klang,” he said, without elaborating on the changes.

He said construction would commerce as soon as possible with the new date of completion reset to 2026, a two-year delay from the project planned originally.

Daim, who is also chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons, added that it had been agreed that 40% of the sub-contractors for the project would be Malaysians.

Negotiations on the loan and interest rate were still ongoing, he said.

“Now that the cost is lower, the loan will also be lower,” he said.

Daim declined to reveal more details, saying that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will address a press conference on the ECRL on Monday.

China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said his government was glad to see the issue being settled through friendly negotiation.

He said China and Malaysia were good neighbours and partners, which viewed each other’s friendship with importance.

Lu Kang said China hoped to see the project recommence soon.

In Putrajaya, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed the latest details involving the ECRL.

“The signing was achieved after months of negotiations between the companies involved as well as the governments of Malaysia and China.

“This reduction (in cost) will surely benefit Malaysia and lighten the burden of the country’s financial position,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The PMO said the supplementary agreement covered the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning aspects of the ECRL.

It confirmed that Dr Mahathir would address the media at 11am on Monday.

The original 688km ECRL proposal comprised Phase 1, stretching from the Klang Valley to Kuantan.

Phase 2 is from Kuantan to Kuala Terengganu and Phase 3 connecting Kuala Terengganu to Kota Baru and Tumpat.

The Pakatan Harapan government suspended the ECRL project after winning the general election last year.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Jomo: No need for ECRL, just take a flight

Jomo: No need for ECRL, just take a flight

The rationale given that the East Coast Railaway Link (ECRL) would speed up the connection between the West Coast and East Coast is merely a ruse by those interested in enriching themselves with such “fake projects”, says economist Professor Jomo Kwame Sundram.

“I understand the government needs space to solve and minimise the losses (from the cancellation of ECRL).

"There will definitely be losses from the cancellation of ECRL. The question is how do we minimise that loss?

“Those who are for it say that it is to develop the East Coast. Actually no. This project does not develop East Coast.

"There are other problems in the East Coast, such as the water problems in Kelantan, lack of sanitation and the issue of flooding, which must be given more attention,” said Jomo.

He also said the excuse that ECRL, once built, would speed up the connection between the West Coast and East Coast did not hold water.

“There are those who say we are ignoring the East Coast. This is a mere ruse by those who want to save such fake projects.

"It is not as if there is no rail line to the East Coast.

"It may be slower but what is it we want to speed up for the East Coast. Apparently, they want to use high-speed trains.

"Who is it that is in such a hurry to come from there? If you are in a hurry, why don’t you just take a flight?” asked Jomo.

He was speaking to the media after a dialogue at the Malaysian Press Institute.

Jomo has been at the forefront in asking for the ECRL be scrapped, saying that it is a burden to a country already deep in debt due to mismanagement by the previous government.

He was part of the Council of Eminent Persons, an advisory council set up by the Pakatan Harapan government in its early days to discuss the state of the nation inherited from the previous Barisan government.

~Courtesy of The Star~

‘Wait for ECRL announcement’

‘Wait for ECRL announcement’

The ball is now in Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s (pic) court to state Malaysia’s official stance on the future of the controversial East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called for patience in the matter, and said the government’s decision on the project would be announced by Lim.

“Has Lim Guan Eng made a astatement on this? No? So we wait for him lah. Be patient,” said Dr Mahathir to reporters when asked to clear the confusion on the status of ECRL.

Dr Mahathir acknowledged that there had been contradictory statements coming from members of his Cabinet, but he said mistakes are to be expected from a new government.

“The number of mistakes we make are little, but people notice it more.

“Just wait for Guan Eng to make the announcement, be patient lah,” Dr Mahathir said at a press conference after a meeting with top executives of statutory bodies here.

On a letter bearing Lim’s signature being widely circulated – indicating the cancellation of the ECRL – Dr Mahathir refuted its authenticity.

“It has a government letterhead? Anyone could draft a letter and cut out a government letterhead to make it look real. That is not official,” he said.

On Sunday, Lim said the official announcement on ECRL would be made in a written statement and issued this week.

It has been reported that the government is looking for a new contractor after terminating the contract awarded to China Communi­cations Construction Company Ltd to build the RM81bil mega rail project.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said Malaysia will stick to its decision on banning Israeli athletes, despite the stripping of Malaysia’s right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships.

“We stand by our principles that Israel is a criminal nation.

“It has been breaking international laws without people saying anything about it.

“We have a right to voice our own feelings and to have our own policies,” he said.

When asked if the stripping of the rights to host the event would affect Malaysia’s future in hosting other games, Dr Mahathir was unperturbed.

“They want to cancel it, then cancel it. I do not understand why the world must follow Israel. The world has the power, but they choose to obey Israel. We do not obey.

“If we cannot organise this sporting event, we can organise other ones,” said Dr Mahathir.

On Pakatan Harapan’s defeat in the Cameron Highlands by-election, Dr Mahathir said he accepted it as the will of the people, and added that the government must address the cost of living issue affecting the rural folk.

“We must find ways to reduce cost of living as well as help them earn better income,” he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Putrajaya to terminate ECRL project

Putrajaya to terminate ECRL project, says Chinese daily

Putrajaya has decided to terminate the 688km East Coast Railway Link (ECRL) project, a Chinese daily reported.

On Thursday (Jan 24), Sin Chew quoted a cabinet source as saying that this had been determined during Wednesday's (Jan 23) Cabinet meeting.

However, Cabinet did not discuss the issue of compensation with the contractor, China Communications and Construction Company (CCCC), the sourse said.

It is understood that the government is still in discussion with CCCC on the compensation amount.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir reportedly denied knowledge of the termination.

The report came a day after Singapore's The Straits Times reported that Malaysia was seeking a new contractor to build the ECRL, after terminating the original contract awarded to CCCC on Tuesday (Jan 22).

The report said Putrajaya was seeking to halve the estimated project cost of RM81bil to RM40bil.

In response, Gerakan vice-president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai said Putrajaya owed an explanation to the people of Pahang, Terengganu, and Kelantan for cancelling the project

~The Star~

马来亚铁道公司APP 随时随地买火车票

马来亚铁道公司APP 随时随地买火车票



通过马来亚铁道公司的电子车票手机运用程式，可以随时随地获取票务详情及订购车票。

学校假期又来临，有没有打算携带一家大小来一趟火车旅游呢？

为方便乘客计划旅程及提早订购车票，马来亚铁道公司（KTMB）推出了一个手机运用程式，让乘客随时随地都可以通过手机上网购买电子车票（Mob Ticket）。

这款火车票务手机应用程式是免费下载的，且设计及使用方法简易，乘客仅须注册成为用户，即可随时随地地，依据所规划的行程轻松订购车票。

在订购车票之前，用户事先翻阅和了解该铁道公司所提供路线图及途经城市或停站。

提供7路线

该公司共提供7条火车路线，即吉隆坡─巴东勿刹、吉隆坡─槟城、吉隆坡─怡保、怡保─吉隆坡、吉隆坡─柔佛、柔佛─吉兰丹及吉兰丹─柔佛。

预订电子车票主要有4个步骤，首先阅读和了解该公司的规则与条例，紧接着进入行程资讯栏，即可输入行程出发地点及目的地，同时选择出发的时间。

由于该公司的火车服务主要分为2种，即快车（Ekspress）或短程（Shuttle），用户可依据个人所好选择班次时间，及走道座位或靠窗座位，两者的价格有差异。

如果有其他乘客同行，订户则须要填上同伴的个人资料，并通过银行转帐、信用卡或转帐卡完成交易，整个过程不到5分钟，非常快速轻松。

乘客预早购得火车票后，仅须在出发前出示或扫瞄电子车票，即可开心享受火车旅程啦。

此手机运用程式将会把用户购票的资料一一存档，方便查阅及计划行程。



手机订购火车票的步骤简单，用户可依据规划的行程输入出发地点与日期及目的地，再选择所属的车火服务和班次。



乘客可依据个人所喜或方便，选择靠窗或走廊的座位。



该公司会要求填上其他乘客的个人资料。



用户使用便利的银行转帐、信用卡或转账卡服务，即可轻松快速完成交易。



马来亚铁道公司通过手机运用程式购得的电子车票样本。



通过手机运用程式可查阅大马铁道公司的铁道路线图，方便规划行程。

~中国报~

‘ECRL project will take environs into consideration’

‘ECRL project will take environs into consideration’

There will be adequate environmental protection in the construction of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) rail line, said Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL).

Its chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said the ECRL project team has been working closely with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry (NRE) for over a year to improve the project alignment and design to minimise its impact on the environment and wildlife.

“It is important for the development of ECRL to be implemented with the environment in mind.

“We firmly believe that development and the environment must go hand-in-hand.

“A Wildlife Management Plan has also been formulated through MRL’s collaboration with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan),” he said in a statement yesterday.

Darwis said a special steering committee, chaired by the NRE’s deputy secretary-general, has also been set up to ensure that all matters related to natural resources and environment regarding the project will be addressed.

The ECRL project, said Darwis, is said to be among the “most challenging engineering and construction” projects in Malaysia as the 688km rail line is not on a flat terrain but cuts across the hilly terrain of the Titiwangsa Range and dense forest.

“As the ECRL traverses through various forests and wildlife habitats, it is crucial to explore the means to ensure the development incurs minimal damage.

“We are pleased to say that the scrutiny in protecting the environment has resulted in a more environmentally-friendly design and measures to ensure the welfare of the wildlife,” said Darwis.

The MRL, together with main contractor China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC), will be implementing various environmentally-friendly initiatives, he added.

The ECRL project team and the NRE have also made design improvements to reduce the loss of forests.

The original design, said Darwis, could have involved the loss of over 2,000ha of forest reserves but modifications to the alignment and provisions of 45 tunnels with a total length of about 49km have managed to reduce the loss of forests by 90%.

Wildlife underpasses will also be built at 29 strategic locations so that wildlife can move freely despite the railway line passing through.

~News courtesy of The Star~

预算案通过计划 东海岸铁路文冬设站

廖中莱：预算案通过计划 东海岸铁路文冬设站

交通部长拿督斯里廖中莱指出，东海岸铁路（ECRL）应是沿着原定计划的路线，在文冬县设站，计划是从雪州鹅唛综合交通总站经过彭亨文冬再通往文德甲以及东海岸。

他也是文冬国会议员，他是于今午到选区内的文冬美律谷土展区拜访问贫穷的垦殖民后向记者这么指出。

他说，中央政府很早以前都已经计划兴建有关铁路，最初是没有文冬站，过后特别向首相争取后，就拟定整个计划，而这计划也在最近的财政预算案通过。

“州政府日前回答州议员的询问时，而没有文冬站，这是州政府没有更新最新的计划，这是较早的计划，所以在文冬设立文冬站是铁定的。”

访问贫穷垦殖民

他说，今日访问6个各族贫穷病患者家庭是要了解他们的需要，并会全力给予他们支持和协助，并会通过福利团体或政府部门给予他们协助。

部长也分发米粮以及奶粉给予所需要协助的家庭。

陪同部长拜访贫穷病患者有马华文冬区会主席拿督英迪拉何启文上议员、马华美律谷支会主席叶成林等人。

政府耗资550亿令吉打造全长600公里的东海岸铁路，路线途径巴生港口、鹅唛综合交通总站、文冬、文德甲、关丹、甘马挽、格底、瓜拉登嘉楼、哥打峇鲁，终点站是道北。

~以上新闻转自中国报~

文德甲火车桥打造景点

文德甲火车桥打造景点‧林春全：將向市会反映

针对文德甲火车桥被建议打造成文德甲一个歷史文物景点区，马华淡马鲁市议员林春全將向淡马鲁市议会作出反映。



在英殖民时代和日治时代已经建立的文德甲火车桥，深具歷史价值。（图：星洲日报）

林春全说，如何將文德甲火车桥打造成文德甲歷史文物景点区的计划，需要从长计议，地方政府需要擬定一份良好的计划书去落实。

“如在文德甲火车桥旁进行美化工作，拨款建立一个有关的景点歷史文物介绍室或景点站，由专人管理等等措施，都需要先计划好。”

他是针对文德甲火车桥被当地华社建议，是否能够打造为一个区域歷史文物景点区一事，接受本报访问作出上述回应。

陈德隆：文德甲具旅游潜能

另一方面，淡属贩商公会和淡属华团领袖昨午前往勘察深具歷史背景的火车桥，准备向政府建议设立一座观景平台，打造旅游景点。

淡属贩商公会会长董则坤和淡属华团副会长陈德隆说，文德甲深具旅游潜能，歷史悠久的文德甲火车站，可发展为出色的观光景点。

他们也將建议当局在平台附近置放一个火车头，以增强旅游氛围，添加吸引力。

“此桥横跨文德甲著名的斯曼丹河，附近为火车站和著名小食中心，如將周遭野草清除，增设围栏保护旅客的安全，將大大的增强本区旅游业。”

（星洲日报‧东海岸）

全面维修铁轨车厢 东海岸火车或停驶2年

全面维修铁轨车厢 东海岸火车或停驶2年


洪水淹没文德里与明加叻区火车轨道近一周，积水开始消退时，轨道“重见天日”。

随着水灾浸坏轨道与车厢，大马铁道局可能会重新执行“东海岸火车停驶两年”计划，全面维修轨道。

这将让东海岸火车服务无限期停驶，该局允许已购买车票的顾客索回车资。

顾客可索回车资

大马铁道局已经正式通知所有车站，把火车暂停行驶信息“公告天下”，通告中并未说明火车服务何时恢复。

车站人员说，已买火车票的顾客可以索回车资或更改日期，各车站将等待总部发出现金后才退还车资给顾客，顾客可向各车站询问详情。

根据该局发出的通告，该局已在去年12月24日，既在吉兰丹州发生大水灾后宣布停止行驶东海岸的火车服务。

丹格姆布桥梁冲断

该局原定今年1月1日重新恢复服务，不料，水灾冲断吉兰丹州格姆布一座桥梁，停放在道北的火车车厢也被浸坏，造成火车服务无法恢复。

目前，该局正面对如何把该列在道北的车箱搬动到丹州以外，以便吉兰丹州以外的路线可以先开驶。

《南洋商报》

白天修轨道料耗时2年 东海岸火车夜间行驶

白天修轨道料耗时2年 东海岸火车夜间行驶


直凉火车站运来整罗里枕木进行轨道维修工程。

东海岸约300公里轨道改善工程全面展开，工程在白天进行，所有火车班次将在未来两年内只作夜间行驶。

大马铁道局已开始维修金马士至丹州话望生轨道，估计工程需费时逾两年。

这项火车轨道维修工程预计涉及长达约300公里的轨道，这也使有关路线的火车服务将在该期间停止白天的行程。

该局早在7月11日起就实验性的执行火车白天停驶方案，以便利用白天的时间维修轨道，该实验方案后来在8月15日定案，凡经金马士至话望生的火车服务一律只在夜间行驶，一向来的白天航线全部取消，以“让路”铁道局维修轨道。

本报记者沿火车轨道，到多个地区实地观察，发现该局已安排工人到多区展开工程，其中文德里区的轨道在更换枕木及维修，同时，直凉火车站也陆续运来多项维修轨道的用料，包括枕木与铁条，至于金马扬区也有铁道局工人展开测量及考察行动，做好准备维修轨道。

12火车班次停驶

根据大马铁道局的通告，路经的多个主要火车站包括马口、文德甲、百乐、而连突、立卑与话望生；上述各火车站的服务时间表都有进行适度调动。

该局表明，在这项改善火车轨道工程中，12个东海岸区的火车班次停驶。

该局声明，有关停驶是为了确保工程计划顺利进行，以便该局能够在维修轨道之后，给大众提供更安全与舒适的火车服务。

火车频出轨 全面提升轨道

陆路公共交通委员会主席丹斯里赛哈密曾在6月中宣布，金马士通往话望生火车服务从6月26日起停驶2年半以进行全面维修工程，以期能解决常发生的火车出轨事件。

有关宣布面对不少反弹，公众除了投诉，也建议该委员会以其他方案来代替停驶两年半计划。

该委员会过后宣布把执行停驶的日期，展延至8月15日。

不过，在7月10日，由于再有发生火车出轨事件（在明光区），该委员会指示火车服务减少班次，并颁下实验性执行“白天停驶”的方案，以便在白天维修轨道。

大马铁道局过后决定以“夜车”代替停驶计划，让金马士通往话望生的火车照跑。东海岸的火车服务，也敲定只保留在晚上9时至早上9时之间川行。

依据新行程表，从道北至新加坡的火车将在凌晨5时抵达直凉镇，而从新加坡前往道北的火车，则在凌晨3时到达直凉站，直凉火车站售票柜台继续开放，柜台开放时间通告已调整为上午8时30分至中午12时，下午3至5时以及晚上11时15分至凌晨3时。

~南洋商报~