Rail Cargo Volume Up As High As 20 Pct In First Quarter Of 2026 - KTMB
PUTRAJAYA, April 14 (Bernama) -- The country’s rail cargo service usage has continued to show positive growth, with cargo volume transported by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) recording an increase of 10 to 20 per cent during January to March this year against the same period last year.
Chief executive officer Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri said the growth, measured based on indicators such as total tonnage and twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), reflected a continuous growth trend in the rail logistics sector.
He said that although the ongoing crisis poses challenges to logistics operations, rail-based cargo delivery performance remains on a positive track and shows no signs of decline.
“Since the crisis began, we have also seen growth despite certain challenges and changes in cargo operations. However, the fact is that our tonnage and TEUs remain on a positive trend.
“Compared to the same period last year, there was an increase in January to March this year. So overall, performance remained positive,” he told a press conference on the Rail Usage Campaign to Address Rising Fuel Costs here today.
Azlan Shah said the development reflects the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to encourage the shift of cargo transportation from road to rail, aimed at improving logistics efficiency as well as reducing traffic congestion and the risk of accidents involving lorries.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the continuous growth in KTMB cargo performance is the result of the government policy encouraging the shift of goods transportation from road to rail, not merely due to the current crisis.
He said growth had already begun to be seen since last year, in line with enforcement campaigns on the issue of overloaded lorries as well as efforts to strengthen the use of rail transport in the national logistics system.
Loke said the policy encouraging the shift of cargo transport away from roads to railways has had a positive impact on the growth in the use of train cargo services.
“The increase in KTMB cargo has indeed occurred due to the policies implemented, not solely because of the crisis. Since last year, we have cracked down on overloading and encouraged the shift from road to rail,” he added.
According to him, although an increase has been recorded, much more effort is still needed to further boost demand for train cargo services in the future.
-- BERNAMA