A 25-km stretch of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) in Port Klang, specifically from Jalan Kastam station to Northport and Westport, will be upgraded to a double-track system, instead of the planned single dual-gauge track, reports the New Straits Times.

The construction of the double track, known as Section D, will not require additional government funds and will not increase the overall development cost of the ECRL project, said transport minister Anthony Loke.

“To enhance rail freight capacity and improve transport efficiency to Northport and Westport, the Cabinet has agreed to construct a double track, which will include a new standard-gauge track for ECRL services, while maintaining the existing metre-gauge track for KTM services.

“The estimated cost of the ECRL project, after incorporating the new scope in Section D, remains lower than the cost agreed upon in 2017 when the ECRL alignment only extended to Jalan Kastam station without a connection to Northport and Westport,” he said today at a press conference.

The construction of the double track, known as Section D, will not require additional government funds and will not increase the overall development cost of the ECRL project, said transport minister Anthony Loke.
“To enhance rail freight capacity and improve transport efficiency to Northport and Westport, the Cabinet has agreed to construct a double track, which will include a new standard-gauge track for ECRL services, while maintaining the existing metre-gauge track for KTM services.

“The estimated cost of the ECRL project, after incorporating the new scope in Section D, remains lower than the cost agreed upon in 2017 when the ECRL alignment only extended to Jalan Kastam station without a connection to Northport and Westport,” he said today at a press conference.

‘Gauge’ refers to the distance between the two rails. Due to historical reasons, KTM and the Sabah State Railway use metre gauge (1,000 mm) – so do Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam for most of their main line railways – but all other (far newer) Malaysian rail systems (LRT, MRT, KLIA Ekspres/Transit as well as ECRL) use standard gauge (1,435 mm), which is the world’s most widely-used gauge.

This switch to a double-track system for that 25-km stretch means KTM and ECRL will have separate tracks, but the originally-planned single dual-gauge track – which allows trains of differing gauges to use the same line via the addition of a third rail – would have been the first of its kind in Malaysia, although it’d clearly be a poorer solution if rail traffic on that section is high.

The ECRL is 78.5% complete as of January – for the first phase (Kota Bharu-Gombak Integrated Terminal), testing and certification will begin in June 2026 ahead of an expected start of operations in January 2027, while the second phase (Gombak-Port Klang) is set to be completed by December 2027 and begin operations in January 2028.