KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 4 — The progress level of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) in Terengganu is 86 per cent complete, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

He said this percentage made the state the fastest construction location compared to other locations such as Selangor, Pahang and Kelantan.

"I believe that with the capabilities of the Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) and its contractor partners, they will be able to complete this project as scheduled,” he said after visiting two ECRL stations in Chukai and Kemasik today.

Ahmad Samsuri said his team will also ensure the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in the six areas in ECRL project stations in the state that his team designed can be completed in the same period of time.

"We don’t want it when the ECRL is ready, but we haven’t done anything yet for the TOD. That is why we held a discussion at the state government level this morning through the state executive council (MMKN) meeting

"Even after this, I will go to the other districts to inspect the designs (stations) and other matters,” he said.

He also said among the components in the TOD involved commercial and non-commercial matters the people, including businesspeople, could participate in to make maximum use of the ECRL to generate the state’s economy.

"So, this is one of the things we want around the ECRL area so that it is not merely a form of passenger or cargo transport network but can generate the state’s economy and ultimately go back to the people,” he added. — Bernama