KVMRT Line 2 releases tender documents 30 Oct 2015

Fig 1. KVMRT plan with dashed line sections underground

At a tender briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday 29 October, contract documents for construction of the 52.2km long second line of its mass rapid transit system were released. The Sungai Buloh–Serdang–Putrajaya (SSP) Line, to be developed by the Klang Valley MRT Corporation of Malaysia’s national Government, has the central 13.5km section aligned in twin running tunnels linking 11 underground stations between Jalan Ipoh and Kuchai Lama (Fig 1).

Five groups have prequalified to present proposals for construction of the line:

1. MMC-Gamuda - Malaysia
2. CREC - China
3. CCCC - China
4. Taisei - Japan
5. Hyundai - South Korea

With release of tender documents, bidders have a three month period to submit proposals by the due date of 28 January 2016. After a programmed evaluation period by MRTC of three months, the successful bidder is expected to be announced in early April 2016.

Also in October 2015, the national Government agreed final approval for construction of MRT Line 2. A letter to MRT Corp from Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD), and signed by Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, approved the railway scheme and confirmed the final route alignment and station locations.

Procurement of Line 2 follows construction of Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line 1 that is in the final phases of commissioning ahead of operations on Phase 1 starting by the end of 2016 and on Phase 2, with its underground central section, by 31 July 2017. After completing the successful SMART tunnel project that combined a double-deck highway facility within a vital stormwater flood relief tunnel for the city, the Malaysian MMC-Gamuda JV was selected as Delivery Partner for realisation of the first mass transit line. The construction divisions of each company were also contracted in JV to undertake design-build construction of the 9.5km underground section of Line 1.

MMC-Gamuda is again engaged as the Delivery Partner for all elements of Line 2 and its construction divisions have again combined in joint venture to bid for the contract to build Line 2, particularly its underground section, which will be similar in scope as the underground section of Line 1.

To complete excavation of the 9.5km section of twin-tube running tunnels for Line 1, MMC-Gamuda procured ten TBMs – two EPBMs from CREG of China and eight machines from Herrenknecht of Germany – two EPBMs and six variable density slurry VDMs. The JV is now is well positioned to bid for the underground works for Line 2 with the eight Herrenknecht TBMs available for EPBM excavation through the Kenny Hill Formation of the alignment, and the VDM machines designed specifically for excavation through the highly karstic limestone of the region. All excavation of the running tunnels and the open-cut stations of the underground section of Line 1 was completed in April 2015. Installation of M&E services and equipment has since progressed towards start of services on Phase 1 of the 51km long line by end of 2016 and by mid-2017 for Phase 2, which includes the underground section.

Following construction of the civil elements of Line 2, services on Phase 1, between Sungai Buloh and Kampung Batu, are expected to begin by July 2021, with the remaining section between Kampung Batu and Putrahaya Sentral beginning services under Phase 2 by July 2022. Once fully operational, Line 2 is anticipated to have a ridership of more than 500,000 passengers/day. It will further improve the chronic traffic congestion currently faced on the city streets of Kuala Lumpur.