He said the service, connecting Selangor to Chongqing, China, in collaboration with Thai and Lao railway authorities, would significantly reduce transit times, carbon footprint, and transportation costs.

“The Asean Express offers a faster alternative to traditional routes that will take nine days from the Kontena Nasional Inland Clearance Depot (KNICD) to Chongqing compared to 14 to 21 days by sea. Rail transportation also boasts a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to road haulage.

“(Transport) costs will be reduced by at least 20%,” he told reporters at the flag-off ceremony at KNICD.

He attributed the lower costs to the single-modal nature of the service, which delivers goods directly from point to point, unlike traditional routes that combine trucking, shipping, and rail services.

Loke added that the decreased travel times could boost markets for perishable items.

“If you can cut down transit time by one week, it would make a lot of difference. For agricultural products, shipping cannot take too long as many products are perishable.

“If it can be shipped within nine days, it will definitely open up markets,” he said.

The service is expected to transport approximately 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers annually from the China-Asean market.

KTMB has planned for two Asean Express train runs per week, each carrying 40 TEUs of containers, with the goal of gradually increasing to daily runs.

The event also introduced the first locally manufactured “pay-as-use” long-term lease locomotives and wagons. Supplied by SMH Rail Sdn Bhd, these trains will be rented by KTMB, with a fee paid to SMH Rail for each use, Loke said.

Attendees at the ceremony included Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing, Thai ambassador to Malaysia Lada Phumas, Lao deputy head of mission Phetwilaychanh Souvannarth, KTMB CEO Rani Hisham Samsuddin, and the deputy mayor of Chongqing Zheng Xiangdong, who attended online.