Malaysia-China joint rail project sees another tunnel breakthrough

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), Malaysia's mega rail project constructed by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), has made another tunnel breakthrough, the company said on Wednesday.

The final blast of the 871-meter single-bore Dungun tunnel in Malaysia's Terengganu state was completed on Sunday, breaking through the last barrier six months ahead of schedule, CCCC and project owner Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) said in a joint statement.

The achievement is the culmination of approximately 641,520 man-hours and the adoption of the drill-and-blast method of tunnelling that bored through the moderately weathered schist rock and came less than two months from the inaugural ECRL tunnel breakthrough at the 1.1-km Paka tunnel on April 9.

MRL chairman Mohd Zuki Ali said the teamwork of some 100 ECRL personnel paved the way for the tunnelling works and breakthrough to be ahead of schedule, with the overall infrastructure works for the tunnel expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2022.

He added that the ECRL project has 58 tunnels of various lengths to be constructed, with the strong collaboration and knowledge sharing between MRL and CCCC smoothening tunnel excavation and project delivery ahead of schedule.

For his part, CCCC's Managing Director for ECRL Bai Yinzhan expressed confidence that the project team was adjusting well to work under standard operating procedures (SOP) put in place to counter the COVID-19 situation and is making advance progress while maintaining workplace safety.

"Our team has made tremendous efforts to coordinate with our local contractors and Bumiputra project partners to ensure resources such as manpower, materials, and machines are available where we need them.

"We are grateful for the support and understanding given by our subcontractors. Special thanks also go to our team in Section 4 for achieving two remarkable milestones within the short span of two months," he said.

The ECRL runs from Malaysia's largest transport hub Port Klang and travels across the peninsula to Kelantan state in northeastern Malaysia. The rail link is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the country by linking its less-developed region on the East Coast to the economic heartland on the West Coast upon its completion in 2026.