Malaysia’s railway sector is at a critical juncture, where integrating digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) has become essential to enhancing sustainability and strengthening the overall ecosystem.
To that end, the 4th International Railway Forum 2025 places digitalisation and AI as its core focus. Malaysia is in a strong position to lead the industry, particularly within the ASEAN region, as neighbouring countries continue to look to Malaysia for talent and expertise.
“If rail is a volume game, we are not just here to serve the Malaysian market, but also the regional and global markets. The digitalisation of the rail industry must take place. We need to view this seriously, especially in leveraging AI to enhance maintenance, procurement, automation, and overall operational efficiency.
“Malaysia’s commitment to environmental sustainability also positions us well to offer greener and more sustainable products and services to the world. Every part of the ecosystem requires skilled talent, and we hope that many will come from UniKL.
“We know you are talented and will help us develop the railway industry. The future will be rail. The government has already announced ‘less road, more rail.’ Rail will provide the best solutions for future freight and passenger movement—environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and technologically advanced. We hope universities will continue driving innovation,” said the President of Malaysia Rail Industry Corporation (MARIC), Datuk Dr. Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman.
He shared this during the officiating ceremony of the 4th Railway Forum 2025, themed “Vision Forward 2030: Leveraging AI To Advance Railway Connectivity and New Energy Transformation”, held at Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Italy Design Institute (UniKL MIDI) on 10 December 2025.
Also present were the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to Malaysia; His Excellency Krzysztof Dobrowolski; UniKL President/Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Ir. Dr. Azman Senin; UniKL Deputy Director (Academic and Technology), Prof. Dr. Kushsairy Abdul Kadir; and Dean of UniKL MIDI, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Zaid Abu Yazid.
The ceremony also witnessed the exchange of strategic partnership documents between UniKL and MARIC, Dhaya Maju Infrastructure (Asia) Sdn Bhd, ERL Maintenance and Support Sdn Bhd, RA Integration Links Sdn Bhd, and Rail Asia.
Before the officiating ceremony, the distinguished guests were given a tour of UniKL MIDI’s facilities, including the Train Simulator, Turnout, Interlocking System, and Signal Operation Simulation.
