China and Malaysia Agree to Extend the East Coast Rail Link to the Thai Border
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 24, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar stated at the conclusion of his visit to China that Malaysia and China have reached an agreement on the proposal to extend the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project northward from Kota Bharu in Kelantan to Rantau Panjang. At this stage, the extension plan still requires further consultation with relevant stakeholders before being submitted to the Malaysian Cabinet for review. The latest official disclosure from Malaysia puts the proposed route length at approximately 25 kilometers.
Rantau Panjang is located on the border between Malaysia and Thailand. Anwar stated that the extension plan had previously been discussed with Thai Prime Minister Anutin and received a positive response. If the subsequent approval and cross-border connection arrangements are completed, the ECRL will be positioned to connect to Thailand's railway network via the Rantau Panjang direction.
The existing main line of the ECRL has a total length of 665 kilometers, running from Kota Bharu in Kelantan to Port Klang in Selangor, with a total of 20 planned stations, serving both passenger and freight functions. The project owner is Malaysia Rail Link, and China Communications Construction Company Limited is responsible for engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning. The existing main line is scheduled to be put into operation in phases starting from January 2027.
The Rantau Panjang direction had previously entered Malaysia's railway planning discussions. Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated in 2024 that the investment estimate for extending the ECRL from Kota Bharu to Rantau Panjang is approximately 2 billion ringgit. In February 2026, when the Malaysian Parliament discussed the plan again, the Ministry of Transport still used approximately 2 billion ringgit as the cost estimate for the extension construction and proposed studying implementation methods for connecting the ECRL with the existing KTMB railway system.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian government has approved independently advancing the upgrade project for the existing railway from Pasir Mas to Rantau Panjang. The existing line is approximately 18.7 kilometers long, with a planned investment of 264 million ringgit. The scope of works includes subgrade and track, fencing, upgrading of Pasir Mas and Rantau Panjang stations, and signal and communication systems. This line previously handled railway transport toward the Thai border, with freight services ceasing after 2006.
During his visit to China, Anwar also rode China's high-speed rail for the first time on September 23, traveling from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hangzhou, a total distance of approximately 160 kilometers, in about 45 minutes. He subsequently stated that Malaysia will, at this stage, still focus its resources on existing railway projects such as the ECRL, and will consider other large-scale high-speed rail projects only after making arrangements among cost, implementation progress, and other development matters.
