REGIONAL RAIL CONNECTIVITY CAN ENHANCE SUPPLY CHAIN - LOKE

PUTRAJAYA, April 22 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia-Thailand rail connectivity to the Asian continent, including China, is important in terms of supply chain security and safety, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

He said the development of rail infrastructure is important from a regional perspective, not just domestically, with the aim of connecting ASEAN member countries through a more strategic railway network.

"When we can connect via rail between these countries, first of all, it is regional connectivity and also very important in terms of supply chain security because the world today is experiencing various uncertainties and disruptions," he said.

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He told the media after the monthly assembly of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Raikan Kasih MADANI 2025 event, here today.

Loke said Malaysia, which is located in the middle of the strategic route of the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea, has the advantage of being a link between western and eastern countries.

Therefore, he said the region should make full use of existing railways to improve connectivity.

"We hope that at the ASEAN level there is a consensus so that we can improve this connectivity. When we have improved this connectivity, of course other countries will also be interested, especially landlocked countries," he said.

To realise the Pan-Asian Railway Network, Loke said Malaysia is committed to achieving a policy with Thailand that is more supportive of the development of the rail sector.

Loke said he would meet with Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Suriya Juangroongruangkit on May 2 to resolve several issues, including Malaysia's rail cargo services being able to cross borders and become a major mode in the future.

He said, for example, among the existing obstacles were certain restrictions on the movement of goods by rail between Malaysia and Thailand, where there were categories of goods that were not allowed to be transported by rail across borders.

"Things like this must be resolved so that we can reduce these barriers to enhance trade in ASEAN,"

Loke said Malaysia is the host of the ASEAN summit next month and the main agenda is to steer the region in facing the current challenges.

"The most important challenge at this time is that the increase in tariffs by the United States has made the global economy increasingly tense.

"What is important for ASEAN is to ensure that availability or the level of competitiveness remains high and to ensure that trade within ASEAN can be improved so that we can reduce trade dependence on only one market," he said.

Therefore, Loke said MOT plays a major role in ensuring that trade between ASEAN can be improved through the implementation of policy instruments so that democratic red tape and restrictions within ASEAN can be reduced.

Loke said cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand is established through Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) and State Railway of Thailand (SRT) but what is important is government-to-government (G2G) cooperation.

The Pan-Asian Railway Network is also known as the Kunming-Singapore Railway Network, connecting the city of Kunming in China with Singapore, via several Southeast Asian countries.

It is a mega project that connects Southeast Asia with China and then to the European continent.

Malaysia plays a key role in the Pan-Asian Railway Network, particularly through the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) Project which connects the East and West Coasts of Peninsular Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA