Chinese Standard Used in Malaysia’s Mega Project

Halif is from the northeastern Malaysian state of Kelantan and now lives in the capital of Kuala Lumpur. For him， Eid al-Fitr is a joyful but exhausting holiday. “I’m happy for the family reunion during the holiday， but I have to travel perhaps all day long to get home，” he said.

Traveling from Kuala Lumpur to his hometown in the northernmost end of Malaysian east coast， Halif doesn’t have many choices but to take the highway. “It usually takes eight hours to drive back home， and the travel time may be doubled during holidays，” he added. He has long hoped that someday he could go back home by train， a far more convenient means of transport that he had the chance to experience when touring in China.

Now Halif’s dream is about to come true.

Dreaming of Convenience

On Aug. 9， 2017， representatives from both the Chinese and Malaysian governments gathered in Kuantan， the capital of Pahang state， for a groundbreaking ceremony of the 688-kilometer East Coast Rail Link (ECRL)， a mega project undertaken by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). With more than 20 stations to be built， the rail line is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

The ECRL project is a milestone for boosting the eastern region of Malaysia as well as promoting regional connectivity of the country. After completion， the railway will not only promote economic development of the East Coast Economic Region and even that of all east coast states， but will also better connect Kuala Lumpur to the country’s less developed eastern region. It will also help Malaysia play a bigger role in Southeast Asia.

Like other east coast states or federal territories， Pahang， the largest state on the Peninsular Malaysia， lags behind the western regions of Malaysia in terms of infrastructure and economic development. Local residents have long been keen for a new railway.

On the morning of Aug. 9， some 5，000 local people， young and old， flocked to the scene of the groundbreaking ceremony in their festive costumes. In an exhibition area set up for the ceremony， visitors viewed information boards and models of the ECRL and took pictures with bright smiles on their faces.

All residents signed their names on the board before the ceremony. Thousands of signatures in various colors embodied their hopes for a better life in the near future. “The ECRL will be the fastest line in Malaysia when complete， and the travel time from northern Kelantan to Kuala Lumpur will be cut to as little as four hours，” Halif said with excitement.

Integration of Technical Standards

The ECRL originates from Gombak in suburban Kuala Lumpur and ends in Wakaf Bharu in the state of Kelantan. Running through four of 11 states on the Peninsular Malaysia， namely Selangor， Pahang， Terengganu and Kelantan， the rail route connects state capitals and major cities with Kuantan Port and Kemaman Port， benefiting more than 4.4 million people along the line.

After completion， the project will not only seamlessly link three east coast states， but will also become a main east-to-west transport artery. For the first time some areas along the east coast will be connected by rail and so will the Peninsular Malaysia's east and west coasts.

“The ECRL will improve the living standards of the people along the route， especially those who live in the east coast region， and will stimulate industrial and commercial activities， logistics and tourism，” said Liu Qitao， president of the CCCC. “It is the biggest cooperation project between China and Malaysia， as well as a flagship project within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.”

According to Liu， the ECRL is the first rail project in Malaysia that adopts Chinese technical standards and will be an integration of both Chinese and local standards. “The project will use two standards systems，” Liu said. “The Malaysian standards， or British standards， will be applied to the construction of the substructure while Chinese standards will be used in superstructure works and vehicle engineering.”

In addition to innovative technical integration， the contractor of the project will also make great efforts to overcome major difficulties. To get through geographical barriers like the Titiwangsa Mountains， the mountain range dividing the Peninsular Malaysia into east and west coast regions， about 33 percent of the ECRL are composed of bridges and tunnels， with 100 and 65 kilometers in total length respectively.

The Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman pointed out that the ECRL is Malaysia's most challenging construction project so far.

“Work on supporting facilities on the construction site like office rooms and living areas will start soon， and everything is being carried out as scheduled，” said Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah， chairman of Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd， the ECRL project owner.

A Keenly-expected Project

According to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak， the ECRL “will be a catalyst for economic equality between the west and east coast of Malaysia， as it will stimulate investment， spur commercial activity， create ample jobs， facilitate quality education and boost tourism in Pahang， Terengganu and Kelantan”. He also noted that the economic growth of the eastern region will be raised by 1.5 percent a year after the rail line is put into operation， and thus rural residents along the route will benefit from the project in terms of income and living standards.

On March 8 this year， Najib launched a three-month ECRL public inspection program to hear the voices of local people on the project. Over 95 percent of 17，000 interviewed east coast residents were enthusiastic about the new railway.

Owners of small and medium-sized enterprises in the east coast region were also excited. Without a railway， it is difficult for them to ship local products to the rest of the country. For years， they have keenly awaited an infrastructure improvement.

For ordinary Malaysians， increased employment and business opportunities are what they see as the most practical benefits. The ECRL project is expected to create more than 80，000 jobs in the construction phase and 6，000 jobs when it is in operation.

On June 14， the ECRL industrial training program was launched， aimed at recruiting 3，600 members and providing them with necessary skills for the project.

“I heard it from my friend. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to work with large-scale project like this and improve my technical skills. I’m eager to be a part of the program，” said Che Nur Fatin Fadhilah， a mechanical engineering graduate of the National University of Malaysia and training program applicant.

“We received more than 300 applicants within two hours since the application opened up 8:00 this morning，” said Dr. Muhammad Hilmi Bin Jalil， senior lecturer at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering， Universiti Malaysia Pahang. Students of the program will be trained according to the syllabus jointly developed by Chinese and Malaysian higher education institutions. When the training is complete， they will participate in the construction and operation of the ECRL.

According to a statement issued on Aug. 9 by Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai， an estimated 5.4 million passengers and 53 million tons of cargo will use the ECRL service annually by 2030.

“The rail line will allow Malaysia to become a regional logistic hub as it connects key economic and industrial areas of the country，” Liow said.

Najib sees infrastructure projects such as this one as vital to Malaysia’s future development.

“The ECRL will definitely help Malaysia find new ways of development，” Najib concluded.