Malaysia to invest heavily in rail

#malaysia #ukmfg #engineering #rail #railways Malaysia is to spend RM160 billion on rail-related projects including a high-speed train service to Singapore by 2020, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has pledged. He said that the government has invested over RM50 billion in public transport since 1990, which has resulted in fuel savings, less congestion, enhanced economic returns on investment and a substantially reduced carbon footprint.

“We are now seeing a massive expansion of the rail network in Asia, including in Malaysia. Rail helped to build many of the region’s nations in their fledgling years, and now there is renewed interest,” said Najib when opening a rail conference in Kuala Lumpur. He said that the Land Transport Authority is in the midst of formulating a master-plan that will include a planning tool-kit to facilitate urban rail development in the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley region.

The rail strategy will also consider ways to maximise the use of the KTMB network — Malaysia’s oldest — by expanding capacity as well as creating new lines and extensions over the next 10 years. Meanwhile, the high-speed rail project between Malaysia and Singapore is expected to be completed by 2020. The 330km line will cut the commuting time between the two countries to 90min.