KUALA LUMPUR (July 31): Malaysia will ramp up infrastructure spending under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) with a focus on expanding road networks, enhancing public transport services, and strengthening air connectivity to support economic growth and regional mobility.

The five-year plan aims to upgrade highways, build new roads, and improve rural connectivity. From 2026 to 2030, 2,800km of rural roads will be built or upgraded to help remote areas and boost local economies, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in his presentation in Parliament.

Some projects in the pipelines includes upgrading the PLUS Expressway stretches of Senai Utara–Machap (Johor) and Juru–Sungai Dua (Penang), the construction of the Central Spine Road (Lebuhraya Lingkaran Tengah Utama) spanning Pahang and Kelantan, and ongoing works on the Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah, as well as the Trans Borneo Highway project in Sarawak.

Public transport integration in major cities will also be improved to ensure better first-mile and last-mile connectivity. This includes deploying an additional 300 demand-responsive transit (DRT) vans and 1,200 new buses, complementing existing rail and feeder networks.

“This is part of our efforts to improve first- and last-mile connectivity, so that people can get to and from train stations more easily. The aim is to make daily travel smoother for all,” Anwar said. The plan also includes adding 217 new passenger trains to provide more frequent services.

For the aviation sector, Anwar said local airlines will invest in 178 new aircraft, expand air services, and upgrade airports to meet future demand and strengthen Malaysia’s role as a regional hub.

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