Malaysia's rail port project targets a European trade corridor shake-up
Malaysia 's northern state of Perlis is being touted as a game-changer for global trade.
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Positioned as the linchpin of a new Europe-to-Asia rail corridor, the Perlis Inland Port could offer exporters a vital alternative to disrupted shipping routes, as the fallout from the
Russia-Ukraine and
Gaza conflicts continues to upend trade.
The project, spearheaded by Mutiara Perlis at a cost of 492 million ringgit (US$111 million), aims to transform Perlis into a key node in a burgeoning rail logistics network connecting Europe, Southeast Asia and China. For a region long reliant on shipping, rail freight could spell faster, more reliable delivery – provided the right infrastructure falls into place.
Over the past two years, Malaysia has stepped up its efforts to develop a Pan-Asian rail network, a long-delayed vision that would link
Singapore to Kunming in western China. The initiative, designed to boost overland freight transport, is geared towards meeting the growing demand for goods such as rubber, palm oil and halal products in landlocked parts of Asia.
Workers lay railway sleepers for a branch line linking Perlis Inland Port to peninsula Malaysia's West Coast railway. Photo: Joseph Sipalan
The proposed network envisions a rail artery running from Singapore through Malaysia,
Thailand and
Laos , before reaching China. Branching routes would extend east to
Vietnam and
Cambodia , and west to
Myanmar and
India
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