The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project has achieved a significant milestone with the successful excavation of all tunnels from Kelantan to Mentakab, Pahang. Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, who is the Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) chairman, announced that the breakthrough of the Kampung Gedung Siam 3 tunnel in Maran marked the completion of tunnelling works along the Section A (Kota Baru-Dungun) and Section B (Dungun-Mentakab) alignments. The 1,328m-long tunnel was successfully broken through according to schedule using the drill-and-blast method, with an average height of 13.47m and a width of 13.02m. It will enable the operation of two standard gauge railway tracks in the future.
The construction of the tunnel was necessary for the ECRL railway track to comply with its maximum gradient of 0.74% and to avoid major open forest felling in the village area. The infrastructure works of the Kampung Gedung Siam 3 tunnel are expected to be fully ready by April 2024, thanks to the effort and close cooperation of the ECRL team under the management of Maran Basecamp. Out of the 25 ECRL tunnels that have achieved tunnelling breakthrough so far, 21 are located in Sections A and B, proving MRL and China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd (CCC-ECRL)’s capability in overcoming engineering challenges and utilizing modern tunnelling technology.
Mohd Zuki expressed confidence that the tunnelling works in Section C, from Mentakab to Port Klang, would proceed smoothly and according to schedule, following the success in Sections A and B. He mentioned that four tunnels, including the 793m-long Kampung Temiang 1 tunnel, had achieved breakthrough this year out of the 19 tunnels in Section C. Additionally, the excavation of the 16.39km-long Genting twin tunnel using two tunnel boring machines from China was progressing per schedule and expected to reach breakthrough by the second quarter of 2025.
The completion of critical works involving the installation of long-span bridges at five locations in Sections A and B was also celebrated during the event. Mohd Zuki mentioned that the installation of ECRL tracks would begin in the fourth quarter of 2023, starting with the 90km rail alignment from Gebeng to Dungun. The event was attended by several notable figures, including Land Public Transport Agency director-general Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri, MRL chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak, and CCC-ECRL managing director Kong Qi.
Kong Qi described the tunnel breakthrough as another significant milestone in their mission to construct the 40-tunnel ECRL. He expressed gratitude to MRL, vendors, subcontractors, local government agencies, local communities, and teams along the alignment for their contribution and support, highlighting their dedication and expertise in pushing the boundaries of construction technology.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
