MALAYSIA is to reopen the mothballed 18.7km line between Pasir Mas and Rantau Panjang on the border with Thailand. Work on the Ringgits 264m ($US 62.9m) renovation project, in the far north of the country, is due to start next year, according to transport minister, Anthony Loke.
As reported by local news outlet The Edge, Loke says that work will be implemented by the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC), with procurement expected in the first quarter of next year.
The line closed to passenger services in 1982 and freight in 2006, and reopening will enable the resumption of cross-border services to and from Sungai Golok in Thailand.
“The project is scheduled for completion within three years from the start of the upgrading works,” Loke says.
This will include upgrading both track and underlying earthworks, installation of fencing, and renovation of Pasir Mas and Rantau Panjang stations, as well as upgrading signalling and communications systems.
