The Government of Malaysia is ready to support and participate in the Pan-Asian Railway Network (PARN), a transnational rail initiative connecting Kunming, China, to Singapore via mainland Southeast Asia.
Further, PARN could facilitate direct freight routes to western Chinese regions such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, enabling Malaysia to tap into the halal market by exporting halal products via rail. He acknowledged legal and customs challenges with cross-border operations and said these will be addressed in talks with neighbouring countries, starting with a meeting with Thailand’s Ministry of Transport in May 2025.
Moreover, the ongoing ASEAN Express initiative, a KTM-SRT-China collaboration that currently ships cargo to Chongqing with a nine-day transit time. He noted that Malaysia’s 900 km West Coast Line from Padang Besar to Johor Bahru will be fully electrified and double-tracked by the end of 2025 to support expanded regional rail operations.