ECRL cargo service could replace up to 79 lorries per train trip, says deputy minister

KUALA LUMPUR (July 23): The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) cargo service has the potential to replace about 79 lorries for every train trip, helping to ease road congestion and reduce the risk of accidents involving heavy vehicles.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said an ECRL cargo train comprising up to 45 wagons can carry loads of up to 3,150 tonnes in a single journey.

He said the capacity far exceeds that of a lorry, which on average can carry a maximum load of only 40 tonnes per trip.

"The ECRL is planned as a key freight transport infrastructure to connect the East Coast with the Klang Valley and Port Klang, in line with the Road-to-Rail Initiative.

"By shifting part of cargo movement from roads to rail, the ECRL service has the potential to reduce reliance on heavy vehicles on major highways, particularly routes linking the East Coast and the Klang Valley," he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara on Wednesday.

Hasbi was responding to a question from Senator Norhasmimi Abdul Ghani on the extent to which the ECRL could help reduce the number of heavy vehicles to improve highway safety.

However, he said the effectiveness of the modal shift would depend on several factors, including industry adoption rates, a competitive tariff structure and the availability of first-mile and last-mile connectivity.

On efforts to ensure the ECRL becomes the preferred transport option, Hasbi said the government is planning the development of various industrial hubs along the alignment, as well as the construction of a spur line providing direct access to Kuantan Port.

"Industrial hubs will certainly emerge along the alignment, including a vehicle manufacturing plant that has signed a memorandum of understanding to use this service. All these efforts are aimed at ensuring full utilisation of the ECRL," he said.

He added that a freight modal shift study estimates that 24.3 million tonnes of cargo a year could be transferred from road to rail by 2050.

"Based on an assumed load of 10 to 20 tonnes per lorry, this is indicative of a reduction of about 3,300 to 6,700 long-haul loaded lorry trips per day.

"These figures refer to a reduction in trips rather than the number of physical lorries, as lorries will still be required for first-mile and last-mile deliveries," he said.

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