ECRL mega rail project marks key tunnel breakthrough in Malaysia's Selangor state

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) --The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a mega rail project in Malaysia being built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), made its 36th tunnel breakthrough in Selangor state on Tuesday, marking a milestone in the railway's construction.

The 959-meter Gombak Tunnel has achieved a tunnelling breakthrough one month ahead of schedule and is a culmination of approximately 5,813,560 man-hours of work in boring through primarily weathered granite using the drill-and-blast method, the CCCC and Malaysia Rail Link (MRL), the ECRL project owner, said in a joint statement.

"The construction of the tunnel will enable the ECRL railway track to comply with its maximum gradient of 0.9 percent as well as avoid major open forest cutting at the Batu 11 Gombak area," it said, adding that the tunnel has the space for two standard gauge railway tracks upon completion.

Among officials present at the ceremony marking the breakthrough was Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari who told a press briefing that the ECRL would prove invaluable for connectivity in the state through its integration with other rail networks including Malaysia's Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.

"The ECRL project will integrate with other public transportation modes in Selangor, providing better connectivity. The Gombak station is already integrated with the current LRT alignment."

"In future plans for Selangor, there is a new rail alignment planned with potential stations in Kuala Selangor and Klang, connected to the current ECRL alignment," he said.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing said in his speech that the ECRL will help accelerate economic activity in the state and highlight its role in China-Malaysia cooperation.

"The ECRL is a seed of friendship and cooperation sown by people of both countries, which is now beginning to bear fruits," he said.

"It will enable Selangor to become a highland for China-Malaysia local cooperation in the future," he added.

The ECRL extends from Malaysia's largest transport hub Port Klang and across the peninsula to the northeastern Kelantan state. The railway is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the Southeast Asian country by linking its less-developed region on the east coast to the economic heartland on the west coast. ■