KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 8): Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) and MMC-Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd today signed the agreement for the underground works of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, valued at RM8.28 billion.

In a statement, MRT Corp’s chief executive officer said Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid said the 9.5 km underground section, situated between the Semantan North Portal and Maluri South Portal, is a very important part of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line as it will serve the busiest and congested parts of Kuala Lumpur.

The agreement, which is for the design, construction and completion of the underground works, was signed by Azhar on behalf of MRT Corp. The underground works include the construction of tunnels, stations and associated structures along the underground stretch.

Also dropping their signatures on the dotted lines were MMC Corporation Bhd’s group managing director Datuk Haji Hasni Harun and Gamuda Bhd’s deputy managing director Datuk Paul Ha.

MMC-Gamuda KVMRT (T) is a 50:50 joint venture between MMC and Gamuda.

A total of 10 tunnel boring machines will be deployed to excavate the underground section of the 51 km MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, which will be the first of the three lines of MRT planned. The underground section will encompass seven underground stations, namely KL Sentral, Pasar Seni, Merdeka, Bukit Bintang, Pasar Rakyat, Cochrane and Maluri.

Azhar said he is confident with MMC-Gamuda’s experience in handling underground works.

“The joint venture constructed the tunnel for the SMART Project which runs through the same karstic limestone geological formation that the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line tunnel will have to go through,” he said.

Phase One of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, stretching from Sungai Buloh to Semantan, will be operational by the end of 2016. The second phase, from Semantan to Kajang, will be open to public by July 2017.