KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project team has excavated 38 out of the 41 tunnels it needs to complete the project, with two breakthroughs in Selangor recently.
The 3.5km Serendah 1 tunnel broke through yesterday, two months ahead of schedule, while the 189m Rawang-Bestari Jaya tunnel broke through on Sunday.
The three remaining tunnels under excavation are the twin-bore 16.39km Genting tunnel, the 9.85km Serendah 2 tunnel, and drill-and-blast Serendah 2 tunnel.
The Genting tunnel, being excavated using two state-of-the-art boring machines, is expected to break through mid-year, while the Serendah 2 tunnel is set to break through in the third quarter of 2025.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the final blast at the Serendah tunnel punched through the last barrier some 2.046km from the tunnel’s exit. The remarkable achievement was the culmination of about 894,920 man hours and the adoption of the drill-and-blast method through primarily weathered granite.
The permanent lining for the Serendah 1 tunnel had progressed to 2.5km prior to the breakthrough. The tunnel has an average height of 12m and width of 13m, providing space for two standard gauge railway tracks upon completion.
Excavation works for Serendah 1 tunnel began in November 2022, with it originally set to break through on May 31. All related civil works for the tunnel are expected to be completed by January 2026.
The construction of the Serendah 1 tunnel will enable the ECRL track to comply with its maximum gradient of 0.9 per cent, as well as minimise impact to water catchment areas like Batu Dam and reduce open forest cutting at the Sungai Tua Recreational Forest.
Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) chief executive officer Dato’ Seri Darwis Abdul Razak said the smooth excavation works at the Serendah 1 and Rawang-Bestari Jaya tunnels were attributed to the outstanding effort and commitment of the ECRL project team at Section 8 and Section 9, respectively, as well as adoption of advanced tunnelling techniques and safe construction practices.
“We achieved a major milestone with the smooth excavation of the 3.5km long Serendah 1 tunnel, which is central to the ECRL alignment linking Gombak to Port Klang in Selangor. Some 512,582 cubic metres of soil and rock were safely removed with minimal ground movement and minor inconvenience to road users throughout the excavation period with the drill-and-blast method,” he said.
He added that the Rawang-Bestari Jaya tunnel was excavated using the benching method to facilitate a bypass for the ECRL alignment, instead of having to cut through the Jalan Rawang-Bestari Jaya main road.
Darwis also said extensive progress has been achieved in rail tunnel design and construction, which are at the forefront of the ECRL project, adding that the mega infrastructure’s alignment necessitates cutting through hilly terrain and dense forest to connect the East Coast to the Klang Valley.
[caption id="attachment_396663" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
The East Coast Rail Link’s Serendah 1 tunnel, which was broken through on April 7, 2025, two months ahead of schedule using the drill-and-blast method, marks a significant milestone as the 38th successfully excavated tunnel for the project. — Handout by EAST COAST RAIL LINK[/caption]
Meanwhile, China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd managing director Deng Bo said: “As the construction of the ECRL enters the new phase involving system installations, we remain focused on maintaining momentum and ensuring timely delivery. We are committed to deliver Malaysia’s national mega railway infrastructure with the highest standards of safety and quality, strengthening connectivity between the east and west coasts.”
The construction for Phase 1 of the ECRL Project — spanning Kota Bharu, Kelantan, to the Gombak Integrated Terminal — is set for completion by December 2026,with operations set for January 2027 onwards, while the construction for Phase 2 — linking Gombak to Port Klang — is set to be completed by December 2027 and be fully operational by January 2028.
MRL, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance (Incorporated), is the project owner of the ECRL, while China Communications Construction Company Ltd is the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning contractor.
The 665km ECRL will traverse the East Coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang before linking with Selangor.
The ECRL electric multiple-unit passenger train can travel at a maximum of 160km/h, and is expected to link Kota Bharu with the Gombak Integrated Terminal in four hours, compared with the approximately seven hours by road transport, which could take more than 12 hours during festive seasons.
