ECRL land acquisition progressing well, says Loke

 

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the most critical part of the ECRL construction, the 16.4km Genting Tunnel, was 30% complete and would take more than a year to finish. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The land acquisition process for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Selangor is progressing smoothly, says transport minister Loke Siew Fook.

He said the land acquisition process was focused on the last section of the rail line near Klang, which involves densely populated areas.

He was confident that the process could be completed according to schedule as the state government was co-operating and the contractor had experience in resolving land acquisition issues in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

“It is normal for landowners to be initially dissatisfied; they may need clarification or perhaps want an increase in compensation and so on. That’s a common thing.

“Whatever issues arising regarding land acquisition will be settled with fair compensation,” he said today.

Loke said state governments had co-operated well with ECRL project contractor China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd (CCC-ECRL) in resolving issues.

“State governments play the biggest role in resolving land acquisition issues because they also know that this project will benefit their states,” he said.

Loke said construction of the 665km ECRL line was proceeding according to schedule, with the East Coast alignment now entering the station construction phase.

He said the most critical part of the ECRL construction, the 16.4km Genting Tunnel, was 30% complete and would take more than a year to finish.

Previously, the transport ministry said the ECRL would be completed by December 2026 and operational from January 2027. - FMT