Kempas Baru-Pasir Gudang cargo rail line may carry passengers soon

 

Johor executive councillor Fazli Salleh says this service will shorten travel time between Pasir Gudang and other areas such as Kempas and JB Sentral.

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook and executive councillor Fazli Salleh at the reopening of KTMB’s Kempas Baru-Pasir Gudang cargo service route on Monday. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 A railway line stretching 40km from Kempas Baru to Pasir Gudang, used exclusively to transport containers from the port, is now set to carry passengers.

Johor public works, transport, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Fazli Salleh said the plan by the state government and Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) includes the development of several railway stations along the route, Bernama reported.

Fazli said such a service could shorten travel time between Pasir Gudang and other areas such as Kempas and JB Sentral, while also helping to reduce road congestion in Pasir Gudang, Masai, Tampoi and around Johor Bahru city.

“A 25km stretch by train would take about 30 minutes, compared with more than an hour by car during peak hours,” he said in a Facebook post.

This would help workers, students and residents while also bringing social and economic benefits to the state.

Fazli said the Pasir Gudang cargo rail line, involving the tracks, signalling systems and safety aspects, had been upgraded. This made the infrastructure ready to support passenger services.

“This makes the cost of launching passenger services lower. There is no need to build an entirely new railway line,” he said.

He said the plan is also part of efforts to expand the passenger rail network in the state.

KTMB recently launched its KL Sentral-Johor Bahru electric train service, making travel easier and faster to the state from Kuala Lumpur and the north. - FMT