Malaysia rail connects PTP
JOC Online
By P.T. Bangsberg
Malaysia's fast-growing southern Port of Tanjung Pelepas will begin scheduled container rail services at the end of the month, operating three trains a day in each direction carrying about 50 TEUs per trip, or 300 TEUs a day.
A newly-opened 20-mile spur connects the port to the national rail network.
A spokesman for the port said the rail link will in effect extend the port's hinterland services as far as Thailand. "From here to southern Thailand, the rail link offers a transit time of just 72 hours. So it's faster by rail than by sea," he said.
The port's box traffic is expected to increase dramatically when Evergreen Marine Corp. shifts its operations from Singapore to PTP later this summer. Maersk Sealand previously moved its hub from Singapore to Malaysia.