KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Passenger ticket prices for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a mega rail project in Malaysia built by the China Communications Construction Company, were unveiled on Monday.
A one-way trip from the Gombak station in Selangor state to Kota Bharu in Kelantan state has been set at 125 ringgit (about 30 U.S. dollars), with discounts available for senior citizens, children and students aged between 13 and 24, Malaysia Rail Link (MRL), the ECRL project owner, said in a statement.
The approved fare proposal strikes a balance between public affordability, the value of the services offered, and the long-term operational sustainability of the ECRL, it said.
For the 523-km journey from Gombak to Kota Bharu, economy class fares for transit services start as low as 125 ringgit one-way, while express services start from 147 ringgit one-way, the MRL said, adding that the journey will take approximately four hours.
Ticket sales are scheduled to begin in mid-November, while commercial passenger operations for the Gombak-Kota Bharu route are targeted to begin in mid-December 2026, subject to the fulfillment of safety requirements. Ten sets of electric multiple unit trains will be deployed as the initial fleet, operating at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, it said.
The ECRL will provide 12 trips daily from Monday to Thursday, consisting of six trips in each direction. Service frequency will increase to 16 trips daily from Friday to Sunday, with eight trips in each direction. ■
