Anwar: Govt can’t afford S’ban-PD railway link

PORT DICKSON: The Government cannot afford to reconstruct the 39km Seremban-Port Dickson rail route – the second oldest in the country – as it would require a huge budget, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The by-election candidate said the authorities would not be able to afford such allocations due to the poor economic climate.

“Since the present economy is not that good, the railway project will have to be deferred as it involves a huge investment.

“The private sector has proposed some investments and we can look at those because it will be a catalyst for the local economy,” he said.

The Port Dickson Residents’ Association had proposed for the rail route to be revived as it could help transform Port Dickson into an international tourism destination.

KTM stopped the passenger train service in the late 1970s due to low passenger volume and the freight link in 2009, following a derailment.

However, there has been talk that the project may be revived as part of the ambitious Malaysia Vision Valley project, encompassing the Seremban-Nilai-Port Dickson growth area.

On another request by the association to open a duty free area here, Anwar said there was no pressing need for it. He said there were other aspects that could be looked into to make Port Dickson more attractive to tourists.

“Port Dickson has enormous tourism potential and I don’t think we need a duty free area for this.

“If we can clean the beaches, have a proper structure plan in place and upgrade the infrastructure facilities, tourists will flock here,” he said when met after having breakfast at the home of former estate worker R. Nallamah, 72, in Bandar Springhill.