Chronology of ECRL project

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Bernama) -- The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) which created a rout over its cost of construction earlier has resumed at a lower cost following the conclusion of a supplementary agreement (SA) between Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) and China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC).   

ECRL will encompass a new track alignment, shortened by 40 kilometres apart from reducing the cost from RM98 million to RM68 million for one kilometre.    

Following is the chronology of ECRL implementation.

• Oct 21 2016 - ECRL project was approved by the Cabinet during the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration.
• Nov 1 2016 - CCCC was awarded the contract to build the 688-kilometre track project linking Port Klang to Pengkalan Kubor in Kelantan.
• May 3 2017 - An additional allocation of RM1.28 billion was required to extend the alignment from Wakaf Bharu to Pengkalan Kubor.
• May 13 2017 - Malaysia signed a supplementary agreement with CCCC for the second phase of the ECRL project worth RM9 billion.
• Aug 9 2017 - ECRL project construction began.
• Aug 23 2017 - Cabinet approved upgrade of ECRL into a double tracking project involving an additional RM10.5 billion.
• July 3 2018 - Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd ordered CCCC to stop construction work when it was 15 per cent completed. 
• March 20 2019 - Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the ECRL would continue on a suitable scale when project negotiation with China was finalised.
• March 22 2019 - Government Advisory Council chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin said Malaysia was expected to finalise the ECRL agreement in early April with cost savings of more than RM10 billion.
• April 2 2019 - China invites Malaysia to Beijing to update the negotiation status on ECRL.
• April 6 2019 - Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook confirmed the ECRL alignment has been changed to benefit Negeri Sembilan if the project resumes after negotiations with China at the end of the month.
• April 12 2019 - Government announced the ECRL would resume with a new alignment covering Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan while the construction of Gombak station was dropped making the new alignment to run from Kota Bharu-Mentakab-Jelebu-Kuala Kelawang-Bangi/Kajang-Putrajaya to Port Klang.

-- BERNAMA