Mustapa denies realignment could balloon ECRL price tag by RM20b
Putrajaya has brushed off a report estimating the realignment of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government could add as much as RM20 billion to its original cost of RM44 billion.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mustapa Mohamed said that what was claimed by the report was merely speculation.
Putrajaya has brushed off a report estimating the realignment of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government could add as much as RM20 billion to its original cost of RM44 billion.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mustapa Mohamed said that what was claimed by the report was just speculation.
"That was merely a rumour, (I) cannot comment on this based on a rumour," he said in Putrajaya today.
"There has been some talk between the government and the people involved in this project. It is still at the discussion stage, which is spearheaded by Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong," he added.
Mustapa (below) declined to comment if additional cost would be incurred and if the latest development may result in a further delay of the ECRL's completion.
"Refer the (questions) to the transport minister, he is the authority here," he said.
On July 5, Wee admitted that the government discussed a proposal by Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail to revert the ECRL to the alignment first proposed by the BN administration.
On July 6, The Edge quoted a CGS-CIMB Research analyst as saying that up to RM20 billion in extra cost could be incurred if the government changed the ECRL track back to the first proposed alignment.
Under the original proposed alignment by BN, the ECRL would pass through Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang before entering Selangor from the north through Gombak and making its way to Serendah and Port Klang.
The then Pakatan Harapan government altered the route so that it would not go through Bentong and Gombak as initially planned, thus avoiding the need for a costly 17.8km tunnel through the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge.
Instead, from Mentakab in Pahang, it would run south to Kuala Klawang in Negeri Sembilan before entering Selangor through Bangi/Kajang and then proceeding to Putrajaya Sentral and finally Port Klang.
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