Brahim, the village head of Zelija Village, Longyun County, Tengjalou, Malaysia, has recently acquired a "hobby" and always runs to a construction site near the village. Looking at the long and high piers, he was closer to realizing his wish.

"These piers were built for the Malaysia East Coast Railway (Malaysia East Railway). After the repair, the train can directly drive through the Long Canal. We are all looking forward to the early arrival of this day!" Brahim, 59, showed a schematic map of the Malaysia East Coast Railway to the reporter, and his eyes could not hide his joy.

"Our village is only two kilometers away from the station. My biggest wish is to take the villagers to Kuala Lumpur by train." He said that after the opening of the train, the time from the village to Kuala Lumpur will be greatly reduced. He can often go to Kuala Lumpur to see the children working there.

Road and bridge connecting the east and west coasts

The Malaysian East Railway, which is designed to be more than 600 kilometers in length, is regarded as a "road bridge" connecting the east and west coasts of Malaysia, and is constructed by China Communications Construction Group Co., Ltd. (CCCC). After completion, it is expected to drive the economic development of the east coast of Malaysia and greatly improve the connectivity level of the areas along the line.

Ye Xiaoyang, deputy general manager of China Communications Construction Malaysia East Railway Project, told the reporter that as of February this year, the project construction has completed more than 40%, and has entered the accelerated construction period. It is planned to complete sections A and B by the end of 2026, and section C by the end of 2027. Ye Xiaoyang said that after the opening of the train, the time from Jilantan on the east coast to Selangor on the west coast will be shortened to four hours, which will greatly facilitate residents' travel and improve logistics efficiency.

The first stop of the series of activities of the Friends of the Silk Road Club of Malaysia to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the joint construction of the the Belt and Road was held at the construction site of the Madang Railway Project in Kota Baru, the capital of Kelantan. Local media, non-governmental organizations and residents were invited to the construction line to feel this landmark project of the the Belt and Road.

Tang Rui, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, said at the scene that Jilantan is the starting point of the landmark project of the the Belt and Road between China and Malaysia. While stepping up the project construction, Chinese enterprises also actively fulfill their social responsibilities and make contributions to improving the lives of the people along the project.

Sami who came to participate in the activity was the head of Badang Haban village nearby. He told reporters that Chinese-funded enterprises not only rapidly promoted the project construction, but also helped the village build roads, hold football friendly games and other activities, and we became good friends.

He said that the Malaysian East Railway project promoted local development during the construction period, and many local youth worked in the project. Villagers look forward to the early opening of the Madong Railway to help open the market for agricultural products.

Ye Xiaoyang said that the project company created a large number of local employment opportunities and employed 4840 local employees. Through the China-Malaysia Railway Talent Training Plan, the company has trained railway professionals for the local area, and also brought business opportunities to more than 3000 local cooperative enterprises.

Hafizur Nizam Abdullah, chairman of the Association for Sustainable Development in Kyrgyzstan, said after visiting the construction site of the East Malaysia Railway, that he hoped that the East Malaysia Railway project would enable local young people to obtain more learning and work opportunities. After the project was opened to traffic, it would drive the development of commerce and logistics, and help local goods and services to go nationwide. Editor/XuNing