KOTA BHARU/KUALA TERENGGANU, Malaysia: Kota Bharu resident Gan Chin Teng, 60, doesn’t want her home state of Kelantan to lag behind. 

“It’s different here,” Gan told CNA, referring to a lack of transport infrastructure such as highways and railways in the eastern coastal state, compared to states on the country’s west coast. “Kelantan needs to be more advanced and not stuck in the past. If possible, we want to move forward.”

This is why Gan, who runs a wholesale store selling household items in the middle of the city, is eagerly awaiting the completion of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).

Expected to start operating in January 2027, the ECRL is a major freight and passenger transport project that aims to shorten the travelling time from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu from at least seven hours by road to four hours by rail.

The project is also aimed at narrowing the socioeconomic gap between the west and east coasts by spurring investment and development in the latter’s states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

Compared to flying or driving, Gan said the ECRL will give her a safer and more comfortable transport option to Kuala Lumpur, which she visits a few times a year during festivities to see her children.

Beyond these tangible benefits, however, Gan feels the ECRL is exactly the type of infrastructure project needed to...