PUTRAJAYA, Sept 8: Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong today said there are still some processes that need to take place before the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) alignment can be confirmed.
He said the government had not revealed anything new related to the project, adding that the media should wait for an upcoming briefing.
“Things are ongoing and I will only announce them once they have been confirmed,” he said at a press conference at the transport ministry.
Previously, a source had said Putrajaya had agreed that the ECRL alignment would go through Bentong, Pahang, as initially planned.
The original track, with a distance of 668km, will take the rail link from Kelantan through Terengganu and Pahang to Selangor via Bentong and Gombak.
Wee said such statements at this time would only cause speculation.
“It has been happening in the last few months. Just look at the discussions in the Dewan Rakyat, look at where it led to and there is already an assumption,” he said.
The previous Pakatan Harapan administration had changed the route by eliminating Gombak and Bentong, and taking it towards the south through Bangi/Kajang in Selangor and Kuala Klawang, Negeri Sembilan, followed by Mentakab, Pahang.
In a written answer to Ismail Ibrahim in the Dewan Negara yesterday, Wee said Putrajaya was reviewing the Section C route (Mentakab-Klang Valley), especially the original route through Bentong and Gombak.
He said Putrajaya would renegotiate with China and the main contractors of the project to get confirmation of the cost implications and the project schedule.
He also said his ministry was waiting for an investigation report from the Land Public Transport Agency on the commuter and electric train accident near the Kuang station in Selangor on Friday.
He said repairs had been completed and operations resumed.
