Driving time lapse Gombak to Karak

Public transport and motorbikes can travel, too

Public transport and motorbikes can travel, too

Bukit Aman has decided to allow public transport and motorcycles to make journeys across state lines.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Huzir Mohamed said the decision was made after assessing the current situation on the roads.

He said police observed and studied the movement on highways and federal roads yesterday and found traffic to be smooth.

Comm Huzir, however, said only public transportation and motorcyclists with approval from the authorities would be allowed to make the interstate trips.

~The Star~

MAS: All passengers must wear face masks, starting Thursday (April 23)

MAS: All passengers must wear face masks, starting Thursday (April 23)

All Malaysia Airlines passengers are now required to bring and wear their own protective masks effective April 23, 2020, at touch-points such as check-in, boarding, in the aircraft cabin, disembarkation and collection of baggage on arrival to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

This requirement applies to all passengers (excluding infant) travelling on all Malaysia Airlines’ domestic, international and charter flights, to ensure the comfort and wellbeing of each passenger and airline employee, it said in a statement here Wednesday (April 22).

Malaysia Airlines will not accept passengers that do not have/wear a face mask at the time of check-in and boarding, it stressed.

"For passengers’ own comfort, especially on long haul flights, you are advised to bring additional masks and hand sanitisers for your own use.”

Passengers are also reminded to respect the personal space of others and observe social distancing where required and to comply with other safety measures in our pre-departure and arrival processes to ensure you have a safe journey.

The safety of its passengers and staff is of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines. - Bernama

Taxis and e-hailing vehicles to operate from 6am to 10pm

Taxis and e-hailing vehicles to operate from 6am to 10pm 

Taxi, e-hailing and delivery services will only be allowed to be on the road for specific hours daily from today during the extended movement control order (MCO), says the Transport Ministry.

“From April 1 onwards, during the MCO, taxis and e-hailing vehicles are allowed to operate from 6am to 10pm.

“Delivery services are allowed to operate between 8am and 8pm, ” the ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The ministry is encouraging logistics and transportation companies involved with delivering essential goods to do so between 7pm and 7am, the most unhindered movement during the extended MCO.

It said operational hours under the MCO for stage buses, express buses, trains and their terminals continue to be limited to 6am to 10am and 5pm to 10pm as announced previously.

The statement said the restriction, covering the two-week extended MCO period, was necessary in line with the government’s efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19 infections and put the country on the path to full recovery.

“Several difficult decisions had to be made under the second phase of the MCO from April 1-14.

“For measures related to public transportation, they are aimed to further reduce person-to-person contact on buses, rail services, taxis and in e-hailing services, and break potential chains of infection on these modes of transportation, ” the statement added.

The ministry reminded passengers to adhere to regulations and social distancing practices, including reducing crowding while using public transportation during the extended MCO period.

~The Star~

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

Bus terminals to implement cashless ticket purchase

Bus terminals to implement cashless ticket purchase

The Transport Ministry is working to get all public bus terminals in the country to implement cashless ticket purchases by using the e-wallet system.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, said it would be carried out in stages since there are terminals which have yet to implement the centralised ticketing system (CTS).

“If possible, we want all terminals to go cashless, but we also need to look at the facilities available and condition at the terminal, so those without CTS facility will take more time,” he told a press conference at the Southern Integrated Terminal (TBS) today.

He was at a TBS to monitor the “balik kampung” exodus among city folks returning to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year celebration. Also present was Deputy Transport Minister Kamarudin Jaffar.

Loke said for bus companies, especially stage bus operators who received subsidies from the government, they are required to implement a cashless ticket purchase system and it will be implemented in stages.

As for express bus companies, Loke said he believed they would be able to implement the ‘cashless’ ticket purchase system as some major bus terminals had already adopted the system.

Currently, among the bus terminals with facilities for cashless ticket purchases are the Terminal Amanjaya in Ipoh, and TBS, which also began accepting ticket purchase through e-wallet today.

In welcoming the move by TBS, Loke said it was in line with the ministry’s focus on the digitalisation of transport services.

In another development, he said the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) had approved temporary licence for 316 additional buses for the Chinese New Year celebration. - 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

Sungai Lembing Bus Schedule (Rapid Kuantan 500)

Bukit Gambang Resort Bus Schedule (Rapid Kuantan 100)

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~

彭州大臣宣布刁曼岛获准建新机场

彭州大臣宣布刁曼岛获准建新机场



马来西亚彭亨州务大臣旺罗斯迪宣布，中央政府已批准在著名海岛刁曼岛建设新机场的计划。

他昨天在彭州政府官方面簿发表声明指出，中央政府与彭州政府经过数年讨论，终于达成协议，决定落实有关计划。

他说：“根据公共工程部的建议，刁曼岛机场将建在甘榜巴耶（Kampung Paya），因为该区域对环境和人们的生活影响最小，是最适合的地点。”

他指出，新机场拥有一条长2.5公里的跑道，可让载送180人至200人的波音737型号飞机，以及A320空中客车起降。

至于费用方面，他说，将由政府及承包的私人公司分担，但细节仍在洽谈，尚未有最终定案。

旺罗斯迪也说，彭州政府相信新机场落成后，不仅能解决国内外访客登岛度假的交通问题，还能提高访岛人次，促进地方经济发展和增加就业机会。

他指出，刁曼岛每年接待约15万名游客，新机场落成后，相信游客人数会增长。“刁曼岛曾被美国《时代》杂志评为世界上最美丽的岛屿之一，我期待新机场带动游客人数增加后，岛上经济能更蓬勃发展，为当地人带来正面效应。”

刁曼岛目前有一个小型机场，只供小型飞机及包机起降，因此游客大多数是坐车或巴士前往柔佛州丰盛港码头，再坐船到刁曼岛。

去年中，马来西亚成功集团有限公司宣布，该公司计划耗资12亿令吉（约3.9亿新元）在刁曼岛建机场，并且已把相关建议书提交给政府。

马来西亚政府过去一直计划要在刁曼岛建新机场，以促进当地旅游业。其中，政府在2003年提出耗资1.2亿令吉（约3900万新元）在刁曼岛建机场的计划，但时任交通部长翁诗杰在2009年以环境问题为由，取消了计划。

~早报网~

云顶高原路段土崩 料今晚完成清理工作

云顶高原路段土崩 料今晚完成清理工作



搜救队伍周三在土崩地点，展开勘查行动。

著名度假胜地云顶高原的彩云阁受土崩影响的路段，预料于周三晚完成清理工作。 云顶消防及拯救局局长尤斯里指出，惟清理工作是否能如预期般完成，也需视天气而定，如果持续下雨，为了工作人员的安全，清理工作会暂停。

云顶通往彩云阁的路段，于周二傍晚5时40分发生山泥倾泻事故，往来云顶与彩云阁的路段被泥石覆盖，但没有影响前往云顶旅游景点的主要道路。

尤斯里说，至今仍持续发生小土崩，如果天气转晴，清理工作将在预定时间内完成。

根据无人机拍摄画面显示，土崩地区的道路料周三晚能完成清理工作。

他说，当局已开通另一条紧急道路，以供轻型车辆通行。

此外，针对逾200名游客受困于案发地点附近的酒店，他说，有关游客已于周三凌晨4时开始步行、再乘巴士往安全处。

~光华日报~

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~

Booking Grab ride in Malaysia? Submit selfie first

Booking Grab ride in Malaysia? Submit selfie first



All Grab users in Malaysia will soon have to do a one-time selfie verification in order to use the app in the country. This is to fulfil regulatory requirements.

It will be similar to what new Grab users in Singapore are already doing, and a company spokesman said yesterday that Singaporeans would also have to comply with the Malaysian rule when using the app across the Causeway.

Grab, through an announcement on its Malaysian app and its website, informed users recently that the compulsory measure will be in place by July 12.

The website message read: "The selfie is for identity verification, safety, and may be used to assist the authorities when required. Grab ensures that your selfie and identity are secure and will not be shared with our driver-partners and merchants."

Grab added that explicit permission would be sought before any access to users' cameras.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke had last July announced that, as part of new rules, passengers would have to upload valid identification card or passport details when they register for a ride-hailing account. He gave a year's grace to meet the requirements.

Grab adopted facial recognition technology to meet the new rule, with first-time users required to submit a selfie of themselves before booking a ride.

The Star daily reported that the new requirement has already helped solve a robbery-cum-murder case involving a Grab driver. Two suspects were nabbed in connection with the death of Mr Mohd Hanafiee Jaafar, who was robbed and killed on the job last month.

The incident resulted in drivers fearing post-midnight trips and avoiding areas deemed dangerous, The Star said.

Within Singapore, Grab users who signed up before February this year did not have to go through selfie verification, with their identities verified by either their Facebook account or credit card details.

But new users signing up from February have had to submit selfies to successfully open their accounts.

The Grab spokesman said: "These are part of our ongoing efforts to ensure high safety and security standards on our platform for both our customers and driver-partners."

Singaporeans who use Grab during trips to Malaysia told ST that they did not mind submitting a selfie so long as it was used solely for verification purposes.

Ms Wong Shi Hui, 25, who works in events management and visits Malaysia every three months, said: "It is good that measures are in place to protect drivers as well. Selfies seem harmless enough if they can ensure a safe ride for everyone."

~The Straits Times~

Utama Ekspres - Kuantan, Pekan, Temerloh

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~

Be prepared to pay a departure levy

Flying out of the country? Be prepared to pay a departure levy

Anyone flying out the country will have to pay a fee when the Departure Levy Bill 2019 is passed in Parliament.

The Bill tabled by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah (pic) for its first reading on Monday (April 8) seeks the implementation of a new levy on any person leaving Malaysia.

However, the amount of the proposed levy was not mentioned in the Bill.

In Budget 2019, the government had proposed a departure levy of RM20 for Asean countries and RM40 for non-Asean countries.

The Bill also proposes hefty punishments for those who avoid paying the levy.

Any registered person who makes an incorrect return or information can face a fine not exceeding RM500,000, a three-year jail term or both, upon sentencing.

According to the Bill, a registered person means any operator or agent of foreign operators.

The Bill also states that anyone with the intent to evade or assist another to avoid the departure levy will also be liable to a fine not exceeding RM1mil, a five-year jail sentence or both upon sentencing.

The proposed Act also states that any person who in any way assaults, obstructs, hinders, threatens or molests a Customs officer in the discharge of his function or fails to give reasonable assistance to any Customs offer will also be liable to a maximum three-year jail term, a fine not exceeding RM500,000 or both if found guilty.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Travellers against departure levy

Travellers against departure levy

AS the feud intensifies between Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and AirAsia, so too the voices from air travellers against the imposition of a departure levy, as well as increase in passenger service charge (PSC).

Malaysians, however, said they were determined to continue travelling.

The New Straits Times’ travel pullout, JOM!, inasurvey conducted on its Facebook page to identify the travel trends of Malaysians, found the majority objecting to both charges.

Of the 663 respondents, 73.2 per cent did not agree that klia2 and other Malaysian international airports should charge the same PSC as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The survey, which comprises eight questions, ran for 11 days.

Effective Jan 1 last year, PSC for those travelling beyond Asean was increased from RM50 to RM73.

It has more than doubled since 2017 for passengers using klia2.

Passengers were charged RM32 before 2017 for travelling beyond Asean via klia2, and it increased to RM50 in 2017.

Since the increase, AirAsia Group Bhd and AirAsia X Bhd have refused to collect the additional RM23, with the justification that the facilities in klia2 were inferior compared with a full-service carrier terminal.

On Dec 11 last year, Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of MAHB, served a writ of summons on AirAsia Group’s unit, AirAsia Bhd (AAB), for RM9.4 million in PSC that AAB had not and refused to collect from travelling passengers.

Malaysians said the departure levy would not encourage domestic tourism as envisaged. Travellers said they would continue to travel, with 4.3 per cent of respondents saying they would travel within the country, 71.6 per cent within Asean and 24.1 per cent beyond that.

The departure levy proposed in the 2019 Budget for air travellers leaving the country is set to roll out in full force in June.

It is set at RM20 to Asean countries and RM40 for non-Asean countries.

The levy was to raise revenue allowing the government to collect a few hundred million ringgit annually, Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said.

DEPARTURE LEVY FRUSTRATION

Shamala Raj, 27, a frequent traveller, said the departure levy would not stop her excursions.

“I understand that the government wants to encourage domestic tourism, but if I have visited all the places that I want to visit in Malaysia, I will still travel abroad for my holidays.

“I believe the idea of introducing a departure levy to encourage people to travel within Malaysia is not effective as some may prefer to travel out of the country, despite the charges.”

She said the government should relook the departure levy as it would deter foreign tourists since the charges were more compared with other Asean countries.

“There are many other ways to collect the revenue, but the government should study this well before implementing it as it may have an adverse effect on Malaysia.”

Mohd Syukri Salleh, 34, who travels to London at least three or four times a year on business, said the extra RM40 would make him look for other options.

“Yes, the RM40 may not sound a lot, however, for a frequent traveller like me, it is an extra cost.

“I will fly as usual, but will look for a cheaper option when the departure levy comes into effect in June.”

Besides travelling on business, Syukri travels regularly for holidays and he did not agree with the increase in the passenger service charge, mainly for klia2.

“I understand the frustration that is brought up by the management of AirAsia. klia2 is a low-cost carrier terminal and it does not have the same facilities as KLIA. So, how can they expect the passengers to pay the same amount?”

The effectiveness of the departure levy, introduced to improve domestic tourism, was debatable, said Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) economist Adli Amirullah.

“Some might say they prefer to travel domestically using land transport, hence a higher departure levy will not affect such consumers.”

He said the departure levy might affect international tourists and deter them from choosing Malaysia as their Southeast Asian destination, compared with neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia.

“IDEAS’ study has shown that Malaysians are already paying one to three per cent more tax on full-service flight tickets to nearby destinations, compared with other Asean nations.

“This pressures the Malaysian aviation market and possibly limits the growth of tourism, as other nearby countries are cheaper to visit.”

He said although Malaysian tourism growth looked prosperous with the travel sector contributing 13.4 per cent to total gross domestic product and 11.8 per cent to the total employment in 2017, statistics had stated that there had been a three per cent reduction in tourism arrivals in Malaysia.

“It shows that Malaysia tourism is growing but at a much slower rate.

“With the number of arrivals turning negative and expected to be adjusted downwards, the losses of the tourism industry may be magnified by the departure levy.”

~New Straits Times~