KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 2026 — Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) expects East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) fares to be announced this month, with ticket sales targeted to open in November ahead of commercial operations in mid-December.
MRL chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said the Transport Ministry is expected to announce the fares. He said the operator anticipates dynamic and affordable pricing that will sit below airfares and slightly above bus fares.
He was speaking at an ECRL operational readiness briefing for media editors today.
For the first phase, ECRL trains are planned to run 12 return trips daily from Monday to Thursday and 14 return trips from Friday to Sunday.
Darwis said MRL is satisfied with progress on Phase One, covering Kota Bharu to Gombak, which stood at 98.16 per cent completion as of September. He expressed confidence that the mid-December 2026 target for commercial operations will be met.
He also cited the performance of the ECRL Comprehensive Inspection Train (CIT), which recently completed a non-stop 519km run from Gombak to Kota Bharu in three hours and 19 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 160kph. The run showed the line can support an express service on the Gombak–KotaSAS–Kuala Terengganu–Kota Bharu route in under four hours.
The 665km ECRL will pass through Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang before linking to Selangor on the west coast. Once operational, travel between Kota Bharu and Gombak is expected to take about four hours, compared with around seven hours by road.
— Life News Agency
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