PETALING JAYA: Three tunnel breakthroughs in a single day in Bentong of Pahang touted as a milestone in the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project.
The success brings the number of tunnels excavated along the ECRL rail alignment to 30.
Malaysia Rail Line (MRL) said in a statement that the three tunnel breakthroughs using the “drill and blast" tunnelling method on Monday (March 11) came ahead of schedule.
The tunnels are Bentong 1 Tunnel (561m), Kampung Lentang 1 Tunnel (270m) and Kampung Lentang 2 Tunnel (478m)
"Each tunnel has an average height of 12m and an average width of 13m. This will provide enough space for two standard gauge railway tracks.
"The construction of ECRL tunnels significantly reduces open forest cutting and minimises the impact on wildlife in the area," said the statement on Tuesday (March 12).
It added that the ECRL project would have 41 tunnels with a total length of approximately 69km.
Of them, 21 are located within Section A (Kota Baru–Dungun) and Section B (Dungun–Mentakab), while the remaining 20 tunnels are located in Section C (Mentakab–Port Klang).
"Excavation works of all 21 tunnels in Section A and Section B have been completed since Aug 2023, and nine tunnels in Section C have also been completed.
"For the record, the ECRL project registered its first tunnel breakthrough at the 1.1km long Paka Tunnel in Terengganu in April 2021," it added.
MRL chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said the achievement was supported by the adoption of advanced tunnelling technology as well as the dedication and teamwork of the workers along the 665km alignment.
“We are optimistic that the construction of the ECRL alignment from Kota Baru to the Integrated Transport Terminal in Gombak will be completed by Dec 2026, considering tunnel excavation works, which are both challenging and contingent on geological conditions, have progressed smoothly and, as per schedule,” he said, adding that the project’s overall progress is at 62.4% as of Feb this year.
