Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) has entered its final phase before opening to the public, with trial operations now running between Gombak and Kota Bharu ahead of a targeted commercial launch on 12 December 2026.

The Trial Operations Programme began on 7 November and will run until 2 December, testing the railway in a real operating environment. It is run by ECRL Operation Sdn Bhd, a 50:50 joint venture between Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) and China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd, which operates and maintains the network.

First run reaches Kuantan in 88 minutes

The first journey left Terminal Bersepadu Gombak at 7.00am sharp and arrived at KotaSAS station in Kuantan, Pahang, at 8.28am, completing the leg in 88 minutes with 170 passengers on board and reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h. The train then continued north, reaching Kuala Terengganu at 9.53am and Kota Bharu at 10.58am, covering the full cross-peninsula journey in just under four hours. By road, the same trip takes around seven hours.

The route crosses the 16.39-kilometre Genting Tunnel, which the train passed through in six minutes. The tunnel holds two Malaysia Book of Records titles, for the longest railway tunnel and the highest overburden railway tunnel in the country. Phase 1 of the line has 16 stations, 41 tunnels and 218 viaducts, and construction of the Kota Bharu to Gombak alignment had reached 98.47 per cent completion as of October 2026.

Trains run to the real timetable

During the trial, the electric multiple unit trains follow the planned commercial passenger timetable, with boarding passes issued and cabin crew on board. Both express and transit services run between Gombak and Kota Bharu in both directions, so every trip mirrors what paying passengers can expect.

MRL chief executive Dato' Sri Darwis Abdul Razak said the focus was on making sure the service was ready to offer a safe and reliable journey, with each trip used to assess the passenger experience and operational arrangements ahead of opening to the public.

Fares from RM125, tickets on sale mid-November

Cabinet has approved a dynamic pricing system for the line. Economy Class fares for the Gombak to Kota Bharu transit service start from RM125, although a full fare table has not yet been released. Ticket sales will be announced through the official ECRL channels in mid-November, and passengers have been warned to use those channels only, as fake ECRL tickets have already been reported.

Passengers changing from the LRT at Gombak will use a temporary link when the line opens in December, with a permanent bridge due by March. Phase 2 will extend the line from Gombak to Port Klang in Selangor, completing the full 665-kilometre network and linking Kuantan Port with Port Klang. The Kuala Selangor alignment was reported to be 83 per cent complete, and the contractor has described that section as firmly on track.

Darwis said the line was expected to spur investment, tourism and jobs, citing new logistics hubs and industrial parks in the East Coast states. The contractor's managing director, Deng Bo, called the Phase 1 handover a defining milestone for cross-peninsular connectivity.

Sources: BusinessToday, Citizens Journal (Bernama).