ECRL's Kuantan Tunnel Ready By April; Overall Project Progress at 40%

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project's Kuantan Tunnel, which broke ground in October last year, will be completed by the end of April. The 2.8km tunnel located in Jabor, near here, is the longest among the ECRL tunnels in Section B (Dungun-Mentakab), which also includes the 1.1km Paka Tunnel and 871m Dungun Tunnel, both in Terengganu. Wan Kamal Wan Embong, regional construction manager (Section 4 and 5) for Malaysian Rail Link (MRL), stated that the Kuantan Tunnel breakthrough occurred on October 17, last year, two months ahead of schedule.

"The tunnel's completion date is set for April 27. The Kuantan Tunnel runs through both Pahang and Terengganu, with 976 metres in Pahang and the remaining 1,890 metres in Terengganu "he told reporters yesterday during a media visit to the Kuantan Tunnel here. The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), the world's most widely used underground construction method, is being used in the drilling and blasting work for the Kuantan tunnel project, which began on October 7, 2019. The average height and width of the Kuantan Tunnel are 11.89m and 13.26m, respectively.

The project made use of a Swedish-made double-arm jumbo drilling machine, with tunnelling work beginning in both directions and meeting in the middle. Wan Kamal stated that MRL ensured that all workers strictly adhered to the safety aspects and conditions set by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). "Because tunnel construction required working in a confined space, we had to ensure proper ventilation and control gas emissions inside the tunnel that could endanger the workers. At the peak of the project, 177 workers were on the job "he said, adding that safety was given top priority during the blasting operations.

Closed-circuit television cameras were previously reported to have been installed at the construction site, including inside the tunnel, to monitor worker movement and ensure safety. In terms of the overall progress of the ECRL, Wan Kamal stated that the 665km rail project was 40% completed and was on track to be completed in December 2026. The 210km Dungun-Mentakab main line is also known as Section B, while the other sections are Kota Baru to Dungun (Section A) and Mentakab to Port Klang (Section B) (Section C).

The ECRL, which opened in 2017, will connect the east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang with the Klang Valley.