RAIL CATALYST

Malaysia will be able to offer products and services to regional markets, says Maric

THE proposed railway industrial park in Rawang, Selangor, can become an export hub for rail products and talent in the region, says Malaysian Rail Industry Consortium president Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman.

THE proposed railway industrial park in Rawang, Selangor, is set to be an export hub for rail products and talent in the region.

Malaysian Rail Industry Consortium (Maric) president Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman said in an interview recently the park would boost industrial exports, especially in the rail sector.

“The cluster-based park will involve infrastructure-sharing as well as cooperation among companies. It would be a good way to develop the industry further.

“This also allows us to export our products and services to countries in the region currently developing rail projects.”

Last month, Maric announced plans to create a railway industrial park.

Maric was established to provide empowerment for rail industry players and to fast-track the development of the industry.

Yusoff said the railway industrial park proposal was under Maric’s national rail initiative and was being finalised.

It is expected to be realised in the second quarter of this year.

He said the proposal had been presented to International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

Maric expects it to be submitted to the National Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Yusoff said like other special economic zones, such as the Digital Free Trade Zone, Malaysian Vision Valley and Iskandar Malaysia, the railway industrial park was also expected to draw investments.

The park is part of the initiative to create a centralised industrial ecosystem that is being carried out by the government.

He said with Malaysian rail-related projects reaching RM200 billion in value by 2030, the plan to build a rail industrial park was appropriate to support the country’s infrastructure development agenda.

He said the park would also create more skilled workers for the sector. “The park is where we can create a pool of skilled workforce that can be ready for future mega projects.

“Local expertise will get a greater boost and be exportable to other countries in the region,” he said.

CMC Engineering chief executive officer Hazwan Alif Abdul Rahman said the initiative would benefit industry players as it would be a platform for collaboration between companies to optimise and share resources on knowledge, labour and financials.

“As this is supported by the government via Mida (Malaysian Investment Development Authority), we hope to receive financial support for the research and development of solutions for domestic and export markets.”

He said the proposed park would benefit the industry player’s foreign technology partners such as Alstom and Siemens.

Local expertise will get a greater boost and be exportable to other countries in the region. DATUK DR MOHD YUSOFF SULAIMAN Malaysian Rail Industry Consortium president