Early breakthrough achieved on Paka Tunnel

12 April 2021


A first tunnelling breakthrough has been achieved six months ahead of schedule on Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) despite the challenges faced by the project during the past three years.

According to Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, chairman of Malaysia Rail Link (MRL), the use of drill and blast achieved ‘quick and efficient’ excavation which resulted in the better-than-expected progress on the country’s 1.1km-long Paka Tunnel in Terengganu. Although single bore and single track, the tunnel’s width of 12.9m will allow a double-track configuration in the future.

Excavation began in April 2018 at the north portal but was interrupted a few months later by a renegotiation of the project by the Chinese and Malaysian governments which was brought about by a change of the country’s federal administration. Work eventually resumed in August 2019 but was to be interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, causing a further nine-month delay to the project.

China Communications Construction Company is main contractor for the project, with blasting work through the mainly moderately weathered granite undertaken by local explosives experts.

The Paka Tunnel will facilitate the flow of passenger and freight services travelling across the Malaysian peninsula between Port Klang and the state of Kelantan in the northeast of the country. Civil works are expected to be completed by Q1 of 2022. Breakthrough on a second ECRL tunnel located in Dungun, Terengganu is expected in June 2021.

The 665km-long ECRL project involves 59 tunnels totalling 14.9km in length, many of which are currently under various stages of construction.