The new tri-country freight train, or ASEAN express, between Malaysia, Thailand and Laos will begin operating in October of this year.
The Star reports that Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), the railway operator company, tested the new railway last week via a dry run to test all aspects of the line and to prepare for the commercial launch of the service.
The Malaysian Ministry of Transport, Mr. Wee Ka Siong, discussed the initial performance testing of the train.
“This is timely because the development of rail projects in ASEAN is rapidly developing and we need to seize the opportunity to penetrate the ASEAN market,” Mr. Wee said during at the launch of the Rail Technology Expo (RTX) in Malaysia.
The railway in Malaysia will also have connections to provinces in China, including Kunming, Chengdu and also to Chongqing via Tanaleng station, Vientiane Capital.
Within 72 hours, the freight train travels 2,206 kilometers from Malaysia to Laos.
At the end of this month, officials from Thailand will visit Laos to discuss construction of a railway connection between Thailand and the Laos-China Railway.
