ECRL ticket prices too expensive for a family? Well, there are other benefits too.

ECRL ticket prices too expensive for a family? Well, there are other benefits too.

The ticket prices are as below image. However, before we speak about ticket prices looks okay for a single person and is just too expensive for a family of 4, let’s look at the other important purpose of ECRL, okay?

Why is ECRL important? Reason #1 – Extra freight movements

I assume this estimation in the article is as accurate as can be. It says one journey of the freight trains could take up loads from up to 90 container trucks from the road. This is equivalent 90 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). In other words, we assume one day just ONE trip, that’s 90 x 365 days = 32,850 TEUs. If two trips, then it will be 65,700 TEUs per year. Read the full article here: malaymail.com Actually, I personally think within a few years, we should aim to triple or quadruple this number.

Kuantan Port handled 325,000 TEUs in 2025 and it has capacity for up to 500,000 TEUs. In other words, if it grows organically by 10% in 2026, it would have handled 357,500 in 2026. If it grows by another 10 percent next year plus this extra contribution from ECRL of 65,700 TEUs, we are looking at it hitting 459,000 TEUs by end of 2027! I really do like this number. Let’s wish that this will come true by end 2027 and Kuantan Port will be forced to expand its capacity further from 2028 onwards.

Reason #2 – This is Straits of Melaka to South China Sea…

Ever read the news about Thailand wanting to create a channel, whether sea, whether road or whatever means so that ships can just travel through Thailand’s southern side and skip the Straits of Melaka and also Klang port and Singapore port totally? Did you also read that the cost is exorbitant and that it could take 10 years to build and we do not know who will invest unless they are given ownership etc?

Long story cut short, this ‘skipping Straits of Malacca’ has already happened with ECRL. Yea, I am very sure if ships could travel via Thailand, it would be faster but ECRL will take just 5 hours versus more than one day (estimation is over around 20 hours) just to the whole Straits of Melaka and reach the start of South China Sea. This time saving can be achieved TODAY. It’s not 10 years later yeah. It’s today. This is also why I think ECRL must work harder to ensure logistics industry see this as another viable route too.

Reason #3 – It can carry passengers too

My god-sister told me NOT to drive to Terengganu during holidays as it would take 10 hours if not more from Kuala Lumpur. Well, I could now take the ECRL to Terengganu too, without the worry of traffic jam or tiredness due to 10 hours of driving non-stop. So, of course this will enable many people to travel back to their hometowns, it would enable families to consider it as a potential holiday traveling mode and this will bring good economic multipliers to both ends and along the ECRL route too.

Conclusion

One of these days, I will definitely take it and then write about the experience. Just RM95, I will not rush and does not need that express one. If you experience it earlier than me, please share your experience too! Not tomorrow lah, the train has not yet started. Probably towards the end of the year. I am very sure this is monsoon proofed already. I have already planning the dates, let’s see if I do get to go end of this year.

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