Not long ago, the Indonesia-China Fast Train or KCIC operated from Halim Perdanakusumah Station in Jakarta to Tegalluar Station, Bandung Regency, with a stop at Padalarang Station.
Currently, the results of the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have been realized in the construction of railway infrastructure as well.
“In March this year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reached a mutual understanding to build a China-Malaysia community with a shared future. Opening a new chapter in China-Malaysia relations,” said Mao Ning, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs China.
President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim before holding a bilateral meeting at the Meruorah Hotel, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Tuesday (9/5/2023). (KrisPress Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat) Quoted from the Antara news agency, Mao Ning stated that 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) and the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia.
“Next year we will commemorate 50 years of establishing bilateral relations. We hope that the two countries can further strengthen practical bilateral cooperation in various fields and bring more benefits to the people of both parties,” he continued.
A number of bilateral collaborations in the BRI mechanism including the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Zone and Kuantan Port, as well as Port Klang, will be connected by the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). Its coverage is the west and east coasts of Peninsular Malaysia.
ECRL is a mega railway project in Malaysia, which will help integrate the west coast region with the east coast region which is being built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).
The launch of the ECRL project was carried out in Kuantan, Malaysia on December 11 2023. The target is that the train line can be fully functional in January 2027.
The train speed reaches a maximum speed of 160 km per hour so that it can cut the travel time from Kota Bharu to ITT Gombak to four just hours.
Once the ECRL project is completed, the rail line is expected to improve connectivity to bring more balanced growth to Malaysia.
“The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is a milestone in the history of Belt and Road cooperation between China and Malaysia. This is one of the largest single transportation infrastructure projects built overseas by a Chinese company,” explained Mao Ning in Beijing, the capital. China on Thursday (14/12/2023).
Port Klang and across the peninsula to the northeastern Malaysian state of Kelantan on a 665 kilometer route.
“The project is now running smoothly, and more than half of it has been completed. When fully completed, this railway line will be the first railway line to connect the east and west coasts of Peninsular Malaysia, and improve connectivity along the railway line,” stressed Mao Ning.