More contracts for MRT line 2 to be announced

CEOs sign: (from left) PUNB CEO Datuk Dzulkifli Fadzilah, Shahril and CIDB Malaysia CEO Datuk Ahmad Asri Abdul Hamid at the MoU signing ceremony between the CEOs of MRT Corp, PUNB and CIDB Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) will announce four more contract awards totalling between RM2.5bil and RM3bil for the RM32bil MRT line 2 from Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP line) this month.

MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar said it expected to award another two viaduct work packages for the lines be located in the Putrajaya area.

“We will also announce the first two system package awards in one to two weeks’ time.

“We expect to announce the balance of the six out of ten viaduct work packages within the next three to six months’ time,” he said at a press conference at the launch of the second MRT Young Entrepreneurs Programme (MYEP) yesterday.

Sunway Construction Group Bhd had won work package V201 valued at RM1.21bil for a 4.9km stretch of the SSP line’s elevated alignment from Sungai Buloh to Persiaran Dagang in Kuala Lumpur in early April.

Another winner was Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd that will build viaduct guideway and other works for a 4.5km stretch of the SSP Line elevated guideway from Persiaran Dagang to Jinjang. The contract is worth RM1.44bil.

The MMC Corp and Gamuda joint venture (JV) has won the highest value in MRT work packages to date worth RM15.47bil for the underground works in the SSP line.

In terms of line 1, Shahril said it was progressing well at 83%-84% completion stage.

“Phase 1 from Sungai Buloh to Semantan will be operational by December this year and phase two will be operational in July next year.

“So far we are on track to complete line 1 within the budgeted construction cost of RM23bil,” he said.

MYEP was conceived by MRT Corp as part of the bumiputra agenda for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) Project, where 60 young graduates would be jointly selected by Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Bhd (PUNB) and MRT Corp.

They will then undergo intensive and hands-on training for a year where they will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to become entrepreneurs in the construction industry.

Besides modules designed by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia, the participants will also undergo training by PUNB and MRT Corp while on-site training will be provided by CIDB Malaysia and MRT Corp.

Shahril said once the training was completed, the participants would either individually or in partnership with each other form companies.

“Once the companies are formed, they can vie for contracts under the construction of the SSP line,” he said.

This will be the second batch of the MYEP to be recruited. The first batch was recruited in 2013 in conjunction with the construction of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line.

Shahril said some of the MYEP 1 graduates had managed to secure second contracts from our work package contractors because of the quality of their work.