MP SPEAKS Pakatan Harapan continues to attack the 688km-long East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project which would be a game-changer for the east coast corridor of Malaysia.

They have continued to use any reason that they can think of to cast doubt on this project - whether the reasons are real or imagined.

At first Pakatan Harapan leaders had tried to cast doubt by saying that the company tasked with developing the project, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd is a newly set-up RM2 company privately-owned company which I had later clarified that this is a 100 percent government-owned company.

This is despite that setting-up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) company to undertake projects is an accepted practice. Similar RM2 companies were also newly set-up when undertaking projects such as the Selangor government’s Darul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG) to hold a reported RM30 billion worth of state assets while the Penang government had also awarded the RM6.34 billion Penang Tunnel and three related roads projects to newly set-up RM2 companies.

Yesterday, three Pakatan Members of Parliament Rafizi Ramli, Tony Pua and Dr Hatta Ramli had continued these attacks by issuing an ill-advised joint-statement that rail projects around the world which I had cited as costing more on a per kilometer basis in my last statement cannot be directly compared to the ECRL projects and called me “ignorant”.

The three MPs then engaged in name-calling and said I was ignorant for comparing these projects which cost more because these other rail projects are different - some by as much as 10 times the price of the ECRL. This is despite the fact that I had clearly stated in my same statement that all rail projects around the world are unique and cannot be directly compared.

The three then said I should not compare with overseas rail projects and said I should compare the cost of the ECRL which they allege will cost RM91.7 million per kilometre with the Ipoh-Padang Besar and 179km Gemas-Johor Baru double-tracking projects which they said cost RM44 million and RM39.8 million per kilometre, respectively.

This leads me to question what kind of desperation would lead three allegedly competent MPs to compare the cost of double-tracking projects with a greenfield rail project?

The Ipoh-Padang Besar and Gemas-Johor Baru double-tracking projects involves electrification and laying of parallel tracks to replace already existing single rail tracks along less challenging terrain that has less tunneling and bridges requirements.

While the ECRL is an entirely new greenfield rail-link project that will cut through our most challenging Titiwangsa mountain range and requires at least 110km of multiple bridges, 50km of multiple tunnels, entirely new stations, depots, signalling systems and supporting infrastructure.

The ECRL will also have 88km of new lines that will connect the densely populated areas of Gombak with Port Klang that adds considerably to the cost.

‘Questions should also be asked of other transport projects’

As I had said, all infrastructure projects cannot be compared directly. If we continue to go down this route then questions should also be asked as to the cost of other transport infrastructure projects undertaken by Pakatan Harapan governments.

For example, the costs given in an answer to me by the DAP-led Penang government in June this year about their Penang Tunnel project confirmed that just the cost of feasibility and design reports alone for 20.3km of paired roads is RM10.3 million per km and RM13.2 million per km for the 7.2km tunnel - totaling RM305 million cost for reports which the Penang government had said is “reasonable and within limits”.

While their stated construction costs for the three paired roads of 20.3km in length will cost RM91 million per km and the 7.3km tunnel portion would cost RM513 million per km and these are without electrification, train stations, the actual train and carriages, depots or signalling systems which are required for rail system - before taking into account land acquisition costs or the 30 years toll concession.

Likewise, the proposed 7.5km passenger-only LRT project linking Komtar with the Penang International Airport as part of the Penang government’s RM46 billion Transport plan is reported to cost RM4.5 billion or a cost of RM257.14 million per km.

All transpiration infrastructure projects are unique and should not be compared. Let’s not go down this route.

As stated in my last statement, the ECRL project can accelerate the GDP growth of this region by an additional 1.5 percent and will help reduce the gap between the west coast and east coast of Malaysia.

Pakatan Harapan’s continued attacks on ECRL on frivolous reasons and ridiculous comparisons has a hidden agenda to scuttle our government’s plans to balance the development of Malaysia to our east coast regions which had lagged behind other regions in order to benefit more than 4 million of people in our sub-urban and rural heartlands.

ABDUL RAHMAN DAHLAN is a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and MP for Kota Belud.