DMIA well-equipped to deliver on kvdt2
Published on: Monday, April 15, 2019
KUALA LUMPUR: Dhaya Maju Infrastructure (Asia) Sdn Bhd (DMIA), one of the two joint-venture partners originally awarded the Klang Valley Double Tracking (KVDT) Phase 2 project prior to the project being reviewed by the government, still believes it is the best company for the job.
DMIA said it is most suited for the railway project based on its experience in rehabilitating live electrified railway tracks, having done Phase 1.
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As the contractor for the 42 km KVDT Phase 1, which is 75 per cent completed, the company has invested nearly RM300 million in equipment.
The KVDT remedial work on KTM Bhd’s (KTMB) railway tracks connecting the Klang Valley is much needed to alleviate delays and cancellations due to failure and derailment as most of the track is more than 25 years old.
The project also includes the upgrading of KTMB’s 16 stations as well as the signalling and electrification system for the overall network.
When completed, KTMB’s service will equal the Light Rail Transit and Mass Rail Transit with travel time reduced from 15 minutes to just seven-and-a-half minutes.
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“Any contractor that gets the project must have a good portfolio of track machinery. Since the area around the track is already well developed, most of the construction work and material logistics have to be undertaken using track machinery,” DMIA Executive Director Datuk Seri Subramaniam Pillai told Bernama, recently.
“Usage of trucks, big excavators and other heavy infrastructure machinery is limited due to space constraints. If a contractor does not have the requisite and specific machinery, it won’t be able to undertake the work.”
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He said DMIA has an advantage as it is the only company with experience in track rehabilitation under live electrified lines.
“DMIA is also the owner of the biggest portfolio of specialist track machinery in Malaysia including an automatic track panel laying machine, which is one of only nine in the world. This was introduced in the Asean region for the first time by DMIA,” he noted. KVDT2 is among the projects that are being reviewed by the Pakatan Harapan government. The RM5.265 billion project was initially awarded to Dhaya Maju LTAT Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between DMIA and the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT).
The KVDT2 project involves the rehabilitation of 211km of KTMB’s railway tracks, stretching from Salak South to Seremban, and from Kuala Lumpur Sentral to Port Klang.
The new government announced in September last year it had cancelled the contract, which Dhaya Maju LTAT secured via direct negotiation, but would still proceed with the project via an open tender.
Speaking about the rehabilitation works on KVDT2, DMIA chief operating officer Datuk Mohamed Razeek Md Hussain said KTMB’s tracks have been in use since the 1990s.
Hence, not only are the tracks being replaced but the foundation too, he said.
Of the original cost of RM5.265 billion for Phase 2, RM1.5 billion was allocated for a non-track job, which was related to flood mitigation, culverts replacement, bridge rehabilitation, KTMB facilities upgrade and additional systems such as signalling improvement.
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