ISKANDAR PUTERI, March 6 — The federal government will continue with the Gemas-Johor Baru electrified double-tracking rail project, the prime minister said.
“I am pleased to confirm that the federal government will continue with this project as set out in Budget 2016 recently,” Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also finance minister, said at the grand opening of the Forest City real estate development here today.
The ceremony was graced by the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
It was announced last year that Malaysia was awarding the Gemas-Johor Baru electrified double tracking (EDTP) project to China Railway.
The line will complete the whole electrified double-tracking rail network up to Padang Besar.
It was reported that currently, there is 1,641.4km of railway networks in Malaysia, of which 46 per cent are electrified double tracks.
The completion of the Gemas-JB EDTP in 2020 will extend the rail network to 58 per cent, it said.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said that the development plans undertaken by the Johor government at a rapid pace in the strive towards an inclusive development would definitely bolster the state’s economic development.
In fact, this year, Johor continues to move ahead towards becoming another important economic hub after the Klang Valley, especially with tremendous growth in certain sectors such as oil and gas as seen in Pengerang, he said.
Najib said the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex project with its first phase of development, which entailed the US$27 billion (RM109.6 billion) Pengerang Integrated Complex by Petronas and the RM9 billion Pengerang Independent Deepwater Terminal by Dialog-Royal Vopak-State Secretary, Johor (Incorporated), went ahead as planned despite the global economic uncertainty. — Bernama
