Railway development projects will continue to be government's main focus

SERENDAH: The government will give continuous focus on railway development projects in the country and optimise the use of railroads to improve the country’s economic status.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the Government also wanted to see the opening of more jobs in the sector.

He said he had been mandated by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to provide an ongoing commitment to infrastructure projects which involved lower cost without compromising the quality of the projects,

“We want to empower the public transport sector especially the railway industry and this includes the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project and the upgrading of Klang Valley Double Tracking Phase 2 (KVDT 2) projects,” he said at the launch of KVDT2 project here today.

The KVDT line, he said, was an important rail line which acts as the central hub connecting rail traffic from North to South, ensuring smooth movement of cargo train from the West Coast and East Coast to Port Klang and vice versa.

It is also the only rail line to Port Klang.

However, Loke said the KVDT line was obsolete and not economical to maintain, and thus the need for an immediate upgrade. - Bernama