Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah observes the track-laying of the East Coast Rail Link in Kuantan, Malaysia on Dec. 11, 2023. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua) 

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a mega rail project in Malaysia being built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) has seen its first tracks being laid on Monday.

Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is among the guests to witness the historic moment. He officially launched the track laying for the project in a ceremony in Kuantan.

Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook speaks during a launching ceremony of the East Coast Rail Link project in Kuantan, Malaysia on Dec. 11, 2023. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

In his speech during the ceremony, Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook hailed the project for its benefits to the local economy, the uplifting of the communities on the country's east coast and the upskilling and technology transfer that the ECRL has made possible.

He also said advanced track-laying equipment from China helps a lot in improving the railway's construction efficiency. "The track-laying machine is expected to lay approximately 1.5km tracks per day."

This photo shows the launching site of the East Coast Rail Link project in Kuantan, Malaysia on Dec. 11, 2023. (Photo by Xu Xinyu/Xinhua)

CCCC chairman Wang Tongzhou said the track-laying marks the transition of the project from underground construction to aboveground construction.

CCCC will continue to invest in quality resources to accelerate the construction of the ECRL project and further strengthen all-round cooperation with Malaysia, aligning with the development plans of the Malaysian government.

"Our goal is to make the ECRL project a landmark of enduring and friendly cooperation between our two nations," he noted.

A major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the ECRL runs from Malaysia's largest transport hub Port Klang and travels across the peninsula to Kelantan state in northeastern Malaysia.