The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) service is set to begin operations in the near future, and ahead of this, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) has disclosed the ticket prices. During a press conference held today, MRL CEO Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak revealed that the transit service from Gombak to Kota Bharu will start at RM125 one way. Meanwhile, express tickets for the same 523km route will be priced from RM147.
It is worth noting that these figures are merely the starting economy-class price, and not a fixed price for each journey. According to the CEO, the Cabinet approved a dynamic fare mechanism for the service on 16 October 2026. Under this mechanism, ticket prices will be affected by travel time, demand, and seat availability. That said, safeguards will be in place to prevent excessive increases.
Other Fares And Discounts
Beyond that, the ECRL service will offer three seating classes to cater to different passenger needs, namely economy, premium economy, and business. There will also be two different services: transit trains that stop at all scheduled stations, and express trains that only stop at four major stations. These are Gombak, KotaSAS in Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, and Kota Bharu.
With all this in mind, the one-way fares for the 209km Gombak-KotaSAS route will start from RM60 for transit services and RM68 for express services. Meanwhile, the 378km Gombak-Kuala Terengganu route will start from RM95. Again, this is for the transit service, with the express train fares starting from RM110. The same fees will apply for both directions.
Darwis also revealed that the Cabinet has approved a 50% discount for children aged two to 12, Malaysian senior citizens aged 60 and above, cardholders with disabilities, and government pensioners. Additionally, students aged 13 to 24 will be entitled to a 40% discount.
Service To Begin In December
Further fare details, such as pricing for other stations along the route, will be available once official ticket sales open. Speaking of which, sales are expected to begin in mid-November, with passenger services from Gombak to Kota Bharu targeted to commence on 12 December 2026. This is of course subject to safety requirements and regulatory approval.
Regarding construction progress, Darwis revealed that as of October 2026, the project has attained 98.16% completion, with site acceptance tests and system integration tests fully concluded. Meanwhile, train testing began on 25 August 2026, covering over 50,000km. Fault-free running tests are scheduled for 23 October 2026, and trial operations should follow in November.
Once service begins, the ECRL will run 12 daily trips from Monday to Thursday, with six trains in each direction. From Friday to Sunday, the number gets bumped up to 16 daily trips, with eight trains in each direction. Throughout 2027, roughly 2.2 million seats will be offered. To start, 10 electric multiple unit (EMU) train sets will run at speeds of up to 160km/h, covering a 665km route between Selangor and Kelantan. With the service, travel time between the two states should take around four hours.
(Source: Bernama, Malay Mail)
