On November 6, 2026, at the Goose Mark Station, the drum beats of the twenty-four festival drum performance had not yet finished, and representatives from both China and Malaysia jointly signed the delivery documents. On the other side of the platform, a brand new high-speed train set off quietly. The twists and turns of the past decade have been recorded in this document: the first phase of the Malaysia East Coast Railway, from Kota Bharu to Emag, which was constructed by China Communications Construction Corporation, has been officially handed over to the project owner, Malaysia Railway Link, laying the foundation for its opening and operation in December this year. On that day, the trial train synchronously departed from the station, and the construction site began to breathe along the line.

Grinding a path in the past decade

The Ma Dong Railway started construction in 2017 and was temporarily suspended the following year due to changes in the Ma government. It was only after the signing of a supplementary agreement in 2019 that it returned to normal. As the flagship project of high-quality joint construction of the the Belt and Road between China and Malaysia, this 665km long railway is planned to cross the Malay Peninsula, putting cities and towns on the east coast and cities and important ports in the west into the same traffic map. The first phase of the project, which connects Kota Bharu in Kelantan State and Gombak in Selangor State, has a total length of 523 kilometers and 16 stations along the line, including passenger dedicated stations and dual-use stations, marking the completion of the railway system construction for the first phase of the project. At the ceremony, Chinese and Malaysian builders looked back on their ten-year journey together. The journey that was once paused has finally reached the moment of turning the key.

I submitted the entire system

What is being handed over is not a section of railway with pre laid steel rails, but a complete set of railways that can run on their own. The train, station, signal, power supply and operation systems are integrated into the same network, achieving seamless connection and collaborative operation. Deng Bo, General Manager of China Communications Construction's Ma Dong Railway Project, stated that Ma Dong Railway is a complete and highly integrated modern railway system, and the project team is fully cooperating with the final stage of operation preparation work to ensure the smooth operation of the railway system. To cross mountains and rainy seasons, the first phase of the project has built 41 tunnels and 218 elevated bridges, with a total length of 154 kilometers; The 16.39-kilometer-long Yunding twin tunnel has set two records in Malaysia for the longest and deepest railway tunnel with soil cover. The dynamic detection conclusion is clear, all systems are fully matched, and driving safety is reliable. After the handover, the joint venture operating company established by both China and Malaysia with equal shareholding ratio will continue the trial operation, emergency drills, and operation license application, jointly responsible for the subsequent operation and maintenance.

Waiting for new opportunities along the route

On the same day, Dalvis, CEO of Malaysia Rail Link, stated that the completion and delivery of the first phase of the project marks a new stage in the transportation infrastructure between the east and west coasts of the Malaysian peninsula. With the support of a modern railway system, the commercial operation of the Ma Dong Railway will become a catalyst for promoting economic growth and sustainable development along the route. It is expected to bring more investment opportunities to the states on the east coast, promote tourism development, create employment opportunities, and promote the construction of logistics hubs and industrial parks. Changes do not only fall on passengers. The second phase of the project is advancing from Goose Mark to Klang Port. After the full line is completed, an additional high-capacity land route will be added between Kuantan Port and Klang Port, allowing goods from the east coast to access western ports and ASEAN markets more quickly. The supporting railway talent training cooperation plan aims to train 5000 professional talents for Malaysia, so that after the delivery of the line, there will be people who can operate, repair, and manage it. A 523 kilometer railway is rewriting the time and distance along its route.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

The drums have settled, and the platform has not dispersed. The first bus of December has not yet departed, and there is already an additional way of arrival between the east and west coasts.Editor/Yang Meiling