THE Klang Valley MRT Project achieved another milestone when the Maluri 2 Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) broke through at the Maluri Portal in Cheras on 24 April 2014.

This breakthrough is the second to take place at the Maluri Portal. Earlier on 8 April 2014, Maluri 1 TBM, the “twin” TBM of Maluri 2, had broken through at the same location.
With the two breakthroughs, the southern sections of twin tunnels for the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, from the Maluri Portal to Maluri Station, Cochrane Station and Pasar Rakyat Station – a distance of over 2.3km – are now complete.

Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Datuk Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid, who was present at the Maluri 2 TBM breakthrough, said the event was proof that tunnelling works was progressing well.

“It contributes to the fact that tunnelling and underground station works have already achieved more than 50% of successful completion,” he said.

He congratulated MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd (MGKT), the Underground Works Contractor for the MRT Project, for the success. The senior management of MGKT were also present at the event.

Maluri Portal is the southern end of the MRT tunnel where the underground alignment surfaces and continues to Kajang along an elevated guideway.

The two breakthroughs are the fourth and fifth for the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line. The earlier breakthroughs were by Semantan 1 and Semantan 2 TBMs at KL Sentral on 24 December 2013 and 16 January 2014, and by Cochrane 1 TBM at the Pasar Rakyat Station site on 9 January 2014.

Maluri 1 and Maluri 2 TBMs began excavating the twin tunnel from the Cochrane Lauch Shaft on 5 October 2013 and 9 November 2013 respectively. The tunnel excavated by Maluri 1 TBM is for future northbound trains while Maluri 2 TBM excavated the tunnel for south-bound trains. Both tunnels are about 1.3km long.