KUANTAN (Sept 29): Malaysia needs 25,000 workers in rail technology and operations by 2030, said Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan.

He said the Human Resources Ministry, through the Manpower Department, is developing suitable Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses to meet this goal.

“Based on input from the industry, every plan will be tailored to industry requirements to ensure trainees are placed in fields matching industry demand,” he said.

He said this during a press conference after officiating the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) TVET Forum 2026 at a hotel here on Tuesday.

The forum, themed ‘Empowering TVET for Next Generation Rail Systems and Future Rail Technologies’, serves as a strategic platform connecting policymakers, TVET institutions, the rail industry, researchers, and international partners to strengthen talent development and support the region's rail industry transformation.

Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said 3,000 job opportunities are available for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, including operations, infrastructure maintenance, and rolling stock maintenance.

“Our requirement is urgent and efforts towards this must be carried out continuously. Agencies involved, particularly TVET [instituitions], are among the sources for us to secure skilled talent to jointly ensure the success of the ECRL project,” he said.

He added that the demand for skilled workers extends beyond the ECRL, with opportunities also in other rail-related sectors, including Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB).

In his keynote address at the IMT-GT TVET Forum 2026, Darwis said the ECRL project is progressing well, with overall construction reaching 95.41% as of August.

He said construction of Phase 1 from Kota Bharu to Gombak had reached 97.65% completion and is targeted for completion by mid-December, subject to testing, commissioning, and safety requirements.

“We were initially scheduled to deliver the ECRL by January 2027. However, the government requested the railway to be open to the public in December during the school holidays. We are working towards that target.

“As of today, the testing and commissioning results have been positive. We are hopeful that the entire Phase 1 alignment, from Kota Bharu to Gombak, will be available to the public by December 2026,” he said.

Darwis said he travelled from Gombak to Kota Bharu on Sept 25 in conjunction with MRL’s 10th anniversary, marking the first time the entire 520km main line had been traversed by train.

“The journey took three hours and 19 minutes at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour. This demonstrates that completing the journey between Kota Bharu and Gombak in under four hours is achievable,” he said.

He said the successful test runs resulted from coordinated efforts across teams and systems, including those responsible for track verification, signalling and power supply, train movement monitoring, and resolving technical issues.

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