By DESIREE TRESA GASPER
SEGAMAT: Work on the Gemas-Johor Baru dual tracking rail project
awarded to a company from China will begin soon, said Transport Minister
Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.
“This project is a major step forward in developing the state
further,” said Ong during his visit to the Segamat Inland Port here.
He said in order to upgrade the current railway services, the country
should consider having wider tracks that would be able to accommodate
high speed trains.
He explained that many people did not understand why the Government
was still focusing on trains that were only travelling at 140kph when
countries like China and Japan already had high-speed trains.
“The problem lies in the tracks. The current ones will not be able to handle high-speed trains as they are too narrow,” he said.
A narrow track could result in a high-speed train being derailed.
“A standard gauge track is wider and it would be more stable. And it
is time for us to set our sights on building these tracks alongside the
old ones,” he said.
As for the Padang Besar-Johor Baru tracking project, Ong said
compensation to squatters and land owners including the state
governments was settled before Chinese New Year.
“The question of compensation does not arise anymore,” he said after
visiting the Kereta Api Tanah Melayu Berhad railway station here.
On the Segamat Inland Port, Ong said the ministry was looking into reviving it.
“We found that one of the major reasons for the closure of the port in 2006 was the management,” he said.
He also added that he would be talking to businessmen in the area to
gain feedback and gauge the viability of reopening the port.
The cost of building the Segamat Inland Port is estimated at about RM21mil.
