Riding the rails

According to Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, the much-awaited electrified double-track from Gemas to Johor Bahru — increasing speeds and allowing for trains to pass each other along the line instead of only at stations — will be completed in time before the Chinese New Year in February 2026.

"The delay was mainly due to the pandemic, as there were issues in deploying workers and logistics due to lockdowns," he said.

The physical infrastructure is already complete, and the main challenge now is to complete the systems and signaling before a final acceptance test.

As transport connectivity improves nationwide in the coming years, more commuters are expected to take to rail travel, Loke said.

The Straits Times, Singapore