SERENDAH, Sept 3 — The government will give continued focus to railway development projects in the country and optimise the use of railroads thus improving the country’s economic status, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said.

The government he said, also wanted to see the opening of more jobs in the sector.

The minister said he had been mandated by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to provide an ongoing commitment to infrastructure projects which involve lower cost without compromising on the quality of the project.

"We want to empower the public transport sector, especially the railway industry and this includes the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project and the upgrading of Klang Valley Double Tracking Phase 2 (KVDT 2) projects,” he said at the launch of KVDT2 project here today.

The KVDT line he said, is an important rail line which acts as the central hub connecting rail traffic from North to South, ensuring smooth movement of cargo train from West Coast and East Coast to Port Klang and vice versa.

It is also the only rail line to Port Klang.

However, Loke said the KVDT line was too obsolete that it is not economical to maintain it thus the need for an immediate upgrade. — Bernama