LRT,MRT, railways, tourism, management @kltransit.blogspot.com : July 2021

Saturday, July 17, 2021

The Malaysia-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) - New Railway Link (Updated on June 22, 2022)

About RTS Link

MRT Corp has set up a subsidiary, Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd (MRTS), to be the developer and owner of the civil infrastructure for the Malaysian section of the Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) Project Between Johor Bahru and Singapore. The company was incorporated on 5 December 2019.

The RTS Link Project is a railway shuttle link approximately 4km length with two stations, one in Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru, Malaysia and one in Woodlands, Singapore.

The link will be a modern Light Rail Transit (LRT) system that will provide high volume, fast and efficient transportation system between the two stations.

RTS Proposed Station design - fb MRT Corp

The link will be integrated with public transport systems at both stations, providing an alternative means of transportation that will help alleviate the congestion at immigration checkpoints for both countries.

RTS proposed station design - fb MRT Corp

The link will have a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour, per direction and an expected ridership of about 40,000 passengers per day upon opening.

MRT Corp website The RTS Link is a railway shuttle service which will link the Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru and Woodlands North Station in Woodlands, Singapore. The line is scheduled to open by the end of 2026

Prasarana website

YBhg. Datuk Mohd Farid bin Mohd Adnan, Chairman, RTSO, said: “We understand the strategic importance of the RTS Link in bringing about significant economic and social benefits on both sides of the Causeway, which not long ago was one of the busiest land border crossings in the world. Together with CEO Mr Shamsul Rizal Md Yusof, who came onboard in September 2020, the RTSO board and management are fully committed to deliver the RTS project despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

For the almost 300,000 people who cross the Malaysian-Singapore border daily for work, their journey on the 4km light rail line from one country to the other is expected to take only five minutes, excluding customs clearance. RTS Link has an estimated capacity to transport up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction.

Mr Yap Kim Wah, Vice Chairman, RTSO, said: “This important bilateral project will deepen the already warm and friendly commercial, cultural and people-to-people ties between our two countries. The good progress made on the RTS Link project is a testament to the close collaboration among all parties. When it is completed, RTS Link passengers arriving from Johor Bahru can look forward to a seamless connection to other parts of Singapore through the Woodlands North Station on the Thomson-East Coast Line.”

RTSO recently awarded nine contracts worth a total of approximately RM1 billion. Four of the contracts are for core systems. CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co Ltd was awarded the contract for Rolling Stock. Siemens Mobility Sdn Bhd and Siemens Mobility Pte Ltd were awarded the contract for Signalling and Platform Screen Doors. Sapura Rail Systems Sdn Bhd was awarded the contract for the remaining two core systems: the Communications System and the Integrated Supervisory Control System. Details of the remaining five contracts (non-core systems) can be found in the Annex.

Earlier on, a systems consultancy contract was awarded to engineering firm CH2M Services Sdn Bhd to deliver consultancy services for the design, manufacturing, delivery, testing and commissioning of all systems for the RTS line.

Mr Shamsul Rizal Md Yusof, Chief Executive Officer, RTSO, said: “We are pleased with the outcome of the tender exercise. There is a good mix of local and international players working together to make the RTS Link a success.”

RTSO is the joint venture company formed in 2020 by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd (Prasarana) and SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT). A Singapore incorporated company, RTSO will own, design, build, finance and manage the RTS Link operating assets including trains, tracks and systems. This company will also operate and maintain the rail line between Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and Woodlands North in Singapore, including the Wadi Hana depot in Johor Bahru.

MRTS website

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

ECRL : TUNNEL BORING MACHINE FOR ECRL PROJECT ARRIVES FROM CHINA

TUNNEL BORING MACHINE FOR ECRL PROJECT ARRIVES FROM CHINA

Excavation Works for Genting Tunnel to Commence in 4Q 2021

Port Klang, 9 July 2021: The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project celebrates a major milestone – the arrival of the first of two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) as per schedule after extensive factory tests in China.

The TBMs were custom-made for use in hard rock condition and equipped with 4 torque cylinders. Each TBM Head weighs about 900 tons with 25m in length and 8.98m in diameter. Together with its back-support system that houses the control room and substation, it weighs a massive 1,600 tons and measures 266m in length, making them amongst the largest TBMs for rail tunnel excavation in Malaysia.

Manufactured by CCCC Tianhe Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing Co Ltd in Shanghai, China, the TBMs had also cleared its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), prior to being dismantled into 286 packages and started their direct sailing on 25 June 2021 from the Port of Shanghai and arrived Port Klang on 4 July 2021. The largest of these packages is the Forward Main Beam which transportation size weighs 135 tons, 9.3m in length, 3.7m in width and 4.6m in height.

Over the next 4 days, a convoy of trucks and low loader will transport the TBM from Northport to Bentong, Pahang, via the Karak Highway or alternative route passing through Tampin in Negeri Sembilan and Muadzam Shah in Pahang for the oversized cargoes.

The TBM will be reassembled at the project's Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Commissioning (EPCC) contractor China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd’s (CCCECRL) site and undergo further testing before it starts its Genting Tunnel excavation works in the fourth quarter of this year.

Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) Chairman, Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, said the ECRL project has entered a new chapter with the delivery of the TBM to spearhead the excavation works for the 16.39 km twin-bore Genting Tunnel between Bentong and Gombak, adding that the delivery bodes well with the decision of the Cabinet Meeting on 2 September 2020 that approved the ECRL Section C to revert to its original alignment of Temerloh – Gombak – Serendah – Port Klang.

“The ECRL project is appreciative that the China made TBM with state-of-the-art technology has been produced and delivered by CCCC as per schedule. We are optimistic that this high-end machine is able to face the engineering challenges and geological conditions when tunnelling across the Titiwangsa Range,” he noted.

Tan Sri Zuki also said it is crucial to start excavation works for Genting Tunnel at the soonest as it is a key component of the ECRL project that will complete the land bridge for freight transportation from Kuantan Port to Port Klang as well as directly link commuters from the East Coast states to Gombak which is a familiar gateway to the federal capital.

MRL Chief Executive Officer, Dato' Sri Darwis Abdul Razak, said the delivery of the TBM is a huge step forward for ECRL’s Section C (Temerloh – Gombak – Serendah – Port Klang) as it will be used to bore through the hilly terrain along the Bukit Tinggi area to facilitate the construction of the 16.39km twin-bore ECRL Genting Tunnel.

“MRL is pleased that the technologically advanced TBM has been thoroughly tested and passed its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) prior to leaving China. Our technical team that had inspected the TBM at the CCCC plant in Shanghai is also confident that this giant machine is able to perform the task it is specifically designed for,” he said.

“The Genting Tunnel will be the first ECRL tunnel that will be excavated using the TBM method as compared to the drill and blast method used on the project’s existing tunnels. Rest assured, the ECRL team is experience and all geared up to operate the TBM to excavate what will be Malaysia’s longest rail tunnel upon completion,” Dato’ Sri Darwis added.

At the maximum excavation capacity of 700m per month, the TBM will be performing 3 main tasks underground: excavating the tunnel, transporting tons of excavated spoil to the surface, and installing the concrete panels that will line the tunnel. It is expected for the TBM to take about 3 years to bore through the Genting Tunnel.

This is the Cutter Head of the ECRL Project's Tunnel Boring Machine.It weighs about 900 tons, is 25m in length and 8.98m in diameter.
This photo was taken while it was being tested at CCCC Tianhe plant in Shanghai before being shipped to Northport. -fc CCCC

Meanwhile, CCC-ECRL's Managing Director Bai Yinzhan said that the arrival of TBM signals more intensified activities for the project.

“In anticipation of the TBM arrival, we are increasing our headcount in Section 7 in Bentong for numerous management and non-management positions such as foremen and crane operators. As we move forward, our plan is to engage more local workforce and create job opportunities for the communities along the alignment. Our team is ready and is looking forward to the TBM's commissioning in the coming months,” said Bai.

Commenting on the TBM’s arrival, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Azman Shah Mohd Yusof said: "The handling of project cargo requires special attention, careful assessment and detailed planning throughout the entire process as it involves many factors to be considered to ensure a safe and successful operation. For Northport, the handling of ECRL’s TBM is considered an important and critical operation as it is of national interest. Hence, we have mobilized an optimum number of our skilled and competent conventional cargo workers for this operation, to ensure the safe handling of the cargo while at the same time maintaining our port productivity. Northport is extremely proud and honoured to be part of this important shipment.”

MRL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc.), is the project and asset owner of the ECRL while CCC-ECRL is the EPCC contractor. Scheduled for completion by December 2026, the 665-km ECRL will traverse the East Coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang before linking the Klang Valley on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The ECRL will significantly cut travel time and connect Kota Bharu with ITT Gombak in approximately 4 hours.

TBM ECRL - fb CCCC

PRESS RELEASE MRL

Friday, July 9, 2021

How to travel in Kuala Lumpur by the best public transportation in Klang Valley? Use PULSE as guidance

Those transportation under Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (PRASARANA) shall enjoy the special JOURNEY PLANNER application for bus and train tracking system. It's included RapidKL such entity as Rapid Rail, Rapid Bus, Rapid Penang and Rapid Kuantan

PULSE - PRASARANA JOURNEY PLANNER video from Rapid KL's web

Just click the below link for downloading and information;