The Impacts of ECRL on Property Values and Economic Prospects Along Its Alignment Route

Chai, Gerry Yu King (2026) The Impacts of ECRL on Property Values and Economic Prospects Along Its Alignment Route. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project is an infrastructure project in Malaysia designed to rectify enduring economic inequities between the East and West Coasts, highlighted by GDP differences and high container haulage costs. This research examines the Malaysian government's objectives for constructing the ECRL, the construction challenges, and its effects on property values and economic opportunities along the route. The primary data collection method was a structured questionnaire survey sent to construction professionals via various channels. The descriptive analysis revealed that bridging regional economic gaps is the most widely endorsed objective, followed by boosting logistics and connectivity, and promoting sustainable transportation. Comparisons assessed the concerns and obstacles in the ECRL construction among occupations like project managers, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, and owners. The findings indicate that land acquisition disputes are the main factor for project delays and cost overruns, air pollution from construction poses the primary public safety concern, and soft ground conditions represent the principal technical and engineering challenge among the surveyed construction professionals. The Kruskal-Wallis test indicates no significant variation in the perceptions of concerns and challenges encountered during the construction of ECRL across various occupations. Pearson correlation analyses reveal positive associations between the objectives of ECRL and its effects, including the mitigation of disparities related to property and economic growth, improvements in logistics associated with economic activities and employment, and sustainable transportation linked to property values and job creation. The limitations of this research were a constrained sample from the construction sector due to temporal restrictions. Consequently, future research should contemplate broadening respondent variety and including supplementary data collection techniques such as interviews