ECRL Concludes 38 Tunnel Excavations Ahead Of Schedule

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project is on track to achieve its target of 41 tunnel breakthroughs by Q3 2025, as Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) announces the completion of excavation work for 38 tunnels along the rail line.

The Serendah 1 Tunnel, spanning 3.50 kilometers, reached a significant milestone with its breakthrough on April 7th, two months ahead of schedule. This accomplishment follows two other notable breakthroughs in Selangor earlier in the week, bringing the total number of completed tunnel excavations to 38. The day before, on April 6th, the 189-meter Rawang-Bestari Jaya Tunnel marked the 37th breakthrough in the project.

MRL announced that only three tunnels remain under excavation following the breakthrough of two tunnels: the 9.85km Serendah 2 Tunnel and the 16.39km twin-bore Genting Tunnel. The Serendah 2 Tunnel is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2025. The Genting Tunnel, which is being excavated using two advanced tunnel boring machines (TBMs), is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak, CEO of MRL, attributed the successful excavation of the Serendah 1 and Rawang-Bestari Jaya tunnels to the ECRL project team's exceptional work, advanced tunneling techniques, and safe construction practices.


The seamless excavation of the 3.50 km Serendah 1 Tunnel marks a significant achievement for the company, crucial to the ECRL alignment connecting Gombak to Port Klang in Selangor, he says.

"Some 512,582 cubic metres of soil and rock were safely removed with minimal ground movement and minor inconvenience to the road users throughout the excavation period using the drill-and-blast method," he said.

China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd managing director Deng Bo affirmed the company's dedication to maintaining momentum and ensuring punctual delivery as the ECRL construction progresses into the new phase of system installations.

The first phase of the ECRL, connecting Kota Bharu, Kelantan to the Gombak Integrated Terminal, Selangor, is scheduled for completion in December 2026, with operations commencing in January 2027. The second phase, linking Gombak and Port Klang, is projected to be finalized by December 2027, and fully operational by January 2028.