The 1st phase of MRT2 is targeted to be in operation in 3Q21

by RAHIMI YUNUS / pic by HUSSEIN SHAHARUDDIN

The Mass Rapid Transit Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line 2 (MRT2) is progressing ahead of schedule, at more than 24% of the total project execution, said project owner MRT Corp Sdn Bhd.

MRT Corp Sdn Bhd director of strategic communications and stakeholder relations Datuk Najmuddin Abdullah said it is important for the project to be ahead of time to provide a wider latitude for any eventuality that could be forthcoming.

“We are a few weeks ahead of the schedule. It gives us a buffer to deal with any setbacks that could possibly arise in a project of this scale. We are confident to complete the project in time as what we had delivered in the MRT1 project,” Najmuddin said after the showcase of MRT’s fire and rescue capabilities for underground works at the Bandar Malaysia North MRT construction site in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The first phase of MRT2 from Sungai Buloh to Batu Kentonmen is targeted to be in operation in the third quarter of 2021 (3Q21), while the remaining segment will be fully completed a year later in 3Q22.

On tunnelling and underground work, Najmuddin said the progress is still at an early stage since the launch of the first of 12 tunnel boring machines (TBMs) last month.

MRT2 will span across 35 stations along the 52.2km alignment, of which 13.5km will be underground, longer than the 10.2km underground section in MRT1.

The RM32 billion project will involve 12 TBMs for its underground works that comprise eight refurbished TBMs used in the MRT1 and four newly-purchased units.

Najmuddin said MRT Corp, together with the underground works package contractor for the Klang Valley MRT project, MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd, has put priority on safety at the construction site, while keeping the project delivery time in check.

The demonstration showcased a rescue mission on a serious road traffic collision scene by MMC Gamuda’s fire and rescue unit.

The unit consists of three teams — the full-time fire and rescue team, the on-site emergency response team and the traffic emergency response team — ready to complete a rescue mission within 60 minutes to what is considered as the “golden hour” in an emergency response.

The on-site emergency response team comprises a minimum of five personnel on shift at every site amounting to approximately 120 personnel over 24 sites at any one time.