The Selangor government, through its investment agency Invest Selangor Bhd, has officially launched the Selangor Rail Industry Hub, positioning the state as a key centre for rail assembly, system integration, and workforce development in Southeast Asia. The launch took place at the Malaysia Pavilion during InnoTrans 2026, an international rail transport trade fair in Berlin, Germany. The event was led by Ng Sze Han, chairman of Selangor’s investment, trade, and mobility committee, who headed the state delegation.
Selangor, recognised as Malaysia’s rail hub, hosts the country’s highest concentration of rail assets, including the Kita Selangor Rail Line. The new hub aims to address the challenge of ageing rail infrastructure while enhancing the resilience of the local supply chain. Leveraging its proximity and direct connections to Port Klang, the hub is designed to serve as a gateway to the ASEAN region.
The Selangor Rail Industry Hub will be located in Taman Perindustrian Zurah, Rasa, in Hulu Selangor. Its development is planned in three phases. Phase 1 has already commenced operations from a 36,000 square foot facility within Sirim Bhd’s premises, focusing on technical validation and compliance with Malaysia Railway Industry Standards. Phase 2 will see an expansion of assembly and testing capabilities on a 7.69-hectare site, while Phase 3 will establish a dedicated 50.6-hectare rail industrial park, approximately 2 kilometers from the first two phases, to support long-term industrial growth and meet increasing regional demand.
At the launch, Sirim Bhd received Letters of Intent from three major industry players that will anchor the hub’s core activities. MMC Engineering plans to establish local train assembly and testing operations. Pecca Leather will set up a specialised training academy concentrating on rail seating and upholstery standards. Xcel Itech is entering into a strategic partnership with Sirim to support localisation, testing, validation, and commercialisation of train simulator platforms and frameworks.
The hub’s operations will focus on four main areas: local train assembly and testing, path of construction and system integration, train simulator development, and supply chain localisation and control. To strengthen human capital capabilities, the initiative incorporates a rail teaching factory framework and the Selangor Talent Action Plan for the rail industry, aimed at developing a certified engineering workforce with cross-system expertise.
Invest Selangor is actively encouraging participation from global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Tier-1 system integrators, technology providers, and supply chain partners to join this emerging rail ecosystem.
Ng highlighted Selangor’s strategic position, noting the opportunity arising as existing rail assets approach critical operational milestones. He emphasised the potential to enhance capabilities in asset life cycle management, local system overhauls, and digital integration, describing the hub as a pivotal step to establish Selangor as a regional engineering centre.
The launch was attended by several key figures including Malaysian Ambassador to Germany Mohamad Razdan Jamil, Invest Selangor CEO Datuk Hasan Azhari Idris, Malaysia Rail Industry Corporation president Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman, Sirim Smart Manufacturing Centre senior director Dr Rohaizat Omar, and Invest Selangor Industry Ecosystem Development Division senior director Nik Izuddin Nik Mohd Yusof.