Malaysia taps China expertise for regional rail centre

Efforts are under way to establish a Regional Rail Standards and Training Centre of Excellence (RCoE) in Malaysia, with experts from China set to conduct four train-the-trainer courses as part of the initiative.

Howard Lee, chairman of the TVET national council’s internationalisation and strategic collaborations executive committee, said the transport ministry has mandated the Malaysia Rail Development Corporation to drive and implement the RCoE.

In a statement, Lee said China’s Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College has agreed to arrange for its lead master trainers to travel to Malaysia before the end of the year to conduct the first phase of the courses.

He said the courses will help build local trainer capacity for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and the wider rail sector.

The first phase will cover training in railway passenger service, freight, power supply systems and signalling systems.

Lee said the RCoE’s main training activities will be based at the Malaysia Rail Academy in Batu Gajah, Perak, with support from Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd and Railway Assets Corporation.

He said the RCoE aims to train rail technical professionals from Malaysia and other Asean countries.

“We also want the centre to serve as a platform to bring international rail technologies, standards and expertise into Malaysia, address the long-standing shortage of specialised rail talent, and support Malaysia’s ambition to become a regional rail hub,” he said.

Lee, who is also the Ipoh Timur MP, said Malaysia Rail Development Corporation and ECRL Operation Sdn Bhd would jointly develop a comprehensive training matrix covering course requirements, curricula, trainers, participant intake, manpower, equipment and training facilities.