KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 9): The government will lease more rolling stock for the Padang Besar to Johor Bahru train services to boost rail capacity to 50% by 2030, said Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.

He said the government is committed to that move to support transportation needs to the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).

“We have double-tracking commuter services from Perlis to Johor Bahru, and the government has decided to lease rolling stock. This is because our current capacity for rail track is only 30% due to the limitation of rolling stock.

“We hope that we can push that beyond 50% and the government is committed to that,” he said during the Forum Ekonomi Malaysia (FEM) 2025 fireside chat entitled 'From Made in Malaysia to Made by Malaysia' today.

The train journey from Padang Besar to Johor Bahru covers a distance of 692 kilometres.

Meanwhile, Rafizi said the government has gathered adequate data and is in the final stages of presenting a proposal to the Cabinet for phasing out the B40, M40, and T20 income classifications.

He said an announcement will be made in a few weeks regarding eligibility for aid distributions and the introduction of a new mechanism based on net disposable income.

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