Three Nights Running, RM1,000 Maximum Fine, RM1.25 Million Daily Delay: The ECRL Theft Problem

Thieves have been stripping copper cables from Malaysia’s RM50 billion railway for 18 months — and the maximum fine for doing so is RM1,000.

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In Brief

Cable theft along the ECRL has been recorded 32 times, causing over RM3 million in damages, with copper signalling cables the primary target.
The maximum fine for railway cable theft is just RM1,000, while each day of theft-related delays costs an estimated RM1.25 million.
Proposed amendments to raise the fine ceiling to RM100,000 have not yet passed, leaving a dangerously inadequate deterrent in place.

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Cable theft along the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) alignment in Selangor was recorded on three consecutive nights — 27, 28, and 29 September — according to a statement by project contractor China Communications Construction ECRL Sdn Bhd (CCCECRL).

The line is currently in its testing and commissioning phase, with an operational target of December.

The September incident is the latest in a pattern that stretches back to at least March 2025, when thefts were first recorded at the KotaSAS station in Pahang.

By June 2025, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) CEO Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak confirmed the loss of over 1,200 metres of signalling cables and 81 outdoor transformer units across at least seven locations in Pahang, Terengganu, and Kelantan.

By October 2025, CCCECRL had logged 32 separate theft cases.

Accumulated damages at that point exceeded RM3 million.

A single incident in September 2025 stripped 1.6 kilometres of connector cables along the Temerloh-Bentong stretch.

What They Take, And Why

Investigators and project officials note a consistent pattern: fibre optic cables are left behind.

They take copper signalling and grounding cables.

The target is scrap value.

Copper commands a premium on the secondary metals market.

Fibre optic cable does not.

The selection is not random.

CCCECRL issued a public warning alongside its police report: the ECRL alignment is no longer a construction site in the conventional sense.

Systems under active testing carry high-voltage electricity.

Anyone tampering with trackside infrastructure now faces a risk of electrocution.

The Fine That Explains Everything

Under current law, the maximum penalty for railway cable theft is RM1,000.

The government has tabled amendments to raise the ceiling to RM100,000, but the amendments have not yet passed.

In the interim, each day of project delay attributable to theft-related inspection, repair, and re-testing carries an estimated contractor exposure of RM1.25 million.

The deterrent is RM1,000.

The daily delay cost is RM1.25 million.

CCCECRL confirmed a police report has been filed.

Security patrols along the affected Selangor alignment have been increased. Testing and commissioning work continues.

ECRL remains on track for its December operational target, according to the contractor.

@financialfaiz
Kes kecurian kabel denda hanya RM1K? Kecurian kabel ECRL,MRT, TM dan sebagainya memang tidak akan ada titik noktah sehingga menyebabkan negara mengalami kerugian jutaan Ringgit. #financialfaiz #mrt #curi #jenayah #hukuman
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