The Cabinet also approved a 50 per cent fare discount for children aged two to 12, Malaysian
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Economy-class fares for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) transit service between Gombak and Kota Bharu will start at RM125 one way, while express tickets for the same 523km route will start at RM147.
Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said the Cabinet approved the proposed dynamic fare mechanism on Friday (October 16), ahead of commercial operations targeted for mid-December.
“RM125 is the starting economy-class fare for the Gombak-Kota Bharu transit service, not a fixed price for every journey,” he said during a media conference to announce the fares today.
Darwis added that the dynamic pricing system will allow fares to vary according to travel time, demand, and seat availability, with safeguards to prevent excessive increases.
For the 378km Gombak-Kuala Terengganu route, one-way fares will start at RM95 for transit services and RM110 for express services, while fares for the 209km Gombak-Kota SAS route will start at RM60 for transit and RM68 for express services.
The same starting fares will apply in both directions.
He said the ECRL will offer two services: transit trains stopping at all scheduled stations and express trains serving only four major stations: Gombak, KotaSAS, Kuala Terengganu, and Kota Bharu.
Fares for other stations along the route are expected to be available when official ticket sales begin in mid-November.
The Cabinet also approved a 50 per cent fare discount for children aged two to 12, Malaysian senior citizens aged 60 and above, disabled persons holding valid identification cards, and government pensioners.
Students aged 13 to 24 are also eligible for a 40 per cent discount.
“We want the ECRL to be an option not only for working people and business travellers but also for families, students, senior citizens, and those who need more accessible and affordable public transport,” Darwis said.
The ECRL will offer three seating classes: economy, premium economy, and business, to cater to different passenger needs.
On construction progress, he said the project was 98.16 per cent complete as of October 2026, with site acceptance tests and system integration tests fully completed.
Train testing, which began on August 25, has covered more than 50,000km, while fault-free running tests are scheduled to begin on Friday (October 23), followed by trial operations throughout November.
Darwis noted that official ticket sales are expected to open in mid-November, with passenger services between Gombak and Kota Bharu targeted to begin on December 12, subject to safety requirements and regulatory approvals.
Further details on fares, schedules, and ticket sales will be available on the official ECRL website.
