KOTA BARU, Feb 22 — Construction of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Kelantan has exceeded 40 per cent, said Minister at the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia Tang Rui.

"Until today more than 40 per cent of the project has already been finished. That is encouraging.

"And Ye Xiao Yang (deputy project director of China Communication Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd) just told us he hoped to quicken the phase to finish the project because everything is going smoothly now,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference after completing the 10th anniversary celebration of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and visiting the ECRL project site in Kampung Peringat here today.

Tang Rui said the ECRL was a symbol of China’s BRI and was thus expected to be a success story.

"I hope this project will benefit people in Kelantan, as a train journey to Kuala Lumpur will be reduced to just four hours, almost half the driving time.

"This project also will provide a better balance to development between the east and west coast of Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

The ECRL project, spanning 665 km and comprising 59 tunnels, includes construction works in four states, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor, and is designed to be free from floods.

The ECRL is expected to be operational in January 2027. — Bernama