KUALA LUMPUR – The East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) project has crossed the halfway mark through completion as of August at 50.29%, said Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah (Limbang-GPS).
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, he also said this year is the peak of progress for the project, with work currently underway with track laying, beam launching, tunnel boring, and station construction.
He explained that the first Genting tunnel reached 3.1km using the tunnel boring machine, while the second tunnel reached 4.29km. The Genting twin tunnel is expected to be 16.39km.
“25 tunnels have been bored as of August 25, where 21 tunnels are in Section A (Kota Baru-Dungun) and Section B (Dungun-Temerloh). The remaining four tunnels are under Section C (Temerloh-Port Klang).
“Beam launching works have also started in seven locations – Kota Baru, Bandar Permaisuri, Kuala Terengganu, Dungun, Kemasik, Kuantan, and Paya Besar – with 1,100 out of 4,328 bridge spans built,” he said during the question-and-answer session today.
Hasbi also said the project led by China Communications Construction Sdn Bhd has appointed 2,785 local companies as subcontractors, consultants, suppliers, and service providers, 436 of which are Bumiputera firms.
“The 66km-long project’s cost is also currently maintained at RM50.27 billion,” he added.
Hasbi was responding to a question by Wan Razali Wan Nor (Kuantan-PN), who asked about the project’s status, how many local and foreign companies are involved, and whether there are additional financial implications.
Meanwhile, Hasbi said that the ministry and contractor would ensure that the project would always take public safety into consideration.
Previously, the Transport Ministry said it has plans to capitalise on the ECRL as a catalyst for economic development in Terengganu, as many new industrial sites could be developed along the project alignment, which is expected to be operational in 2027. – October 17, 2023