During the visit of Thai Prime Minister Phetongtarn to Malaysia, Minister of Transport Loke Siew Fook revealed that the topics discussed between the two countries include regional railway connectivity.
He stated that better railway connectivity can further enhance the links between Thailand, Laos, and even to China, improving the Pan-Asian railway network.
He mentioned this to the media after officiating the launch of the Malaysia-China Summit today (17th).
In fact, he pointed out that the Pan-Asian railway network is already in operation, including freight trains from our country to China, though it is not yet the mainstream transportation option, and many issues remain to be overcome.
These challenges include customs clearance procedures, which he mentioned were discussed with the Thai delegation led by Phetongtarn.
“We hope to gain more convenience in the customs clearance process for freight transportation to speed up the process.”
Once the customs clearance process is accelerated, he believes it will aid regional economic and trade interactions.
Additionally, Loke noted that currently 90% to 95% of our trade is conducted through maritime transport. “We hope to diversify this, with more goods transported by rail.”
Nevertheless, he stated that our railway construction is still at an initial stage, and the government hopes more Malaysians will use it as a mode of transportation.
“We hope that not only will Malaysians use the rail, but also that freight will increasingly rely on railway transport.”
He mentioned that once the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is completed, the government will implement all measures to fully utilize the East Coast Railway, achieving the most effective results.