26 September 2023, Bentong
A group of journalists were granted an exclusive look inside the 16.39-kilometer Genting Tunnel. This monumental occasion not only unveiled the remarkable engineering but also fostered a unique sense of unity among the media professionals who braved the underground adventure together.
The twin-bore tunnels fall under the alignment of China Communications Construction Company (CCC) ECRL Project Section 7 which links between Bentong, Pahang with Gombak, Selangor. The works on the tunnel began last June at the portal nestled in the hillsides near Bukit Tinggi, where it has now achieved a distance of 3.6 kilometers out with a maximum buried depth of 750 meters of its total length of 16.39 kilometers.
The Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are tailor-made to tackle the challenges of hard rock conditions. With a remarkable drill face spanning almost 9 meters, these colossal machines weigh in at a staggering 1,600 tonnes and stretch to an impressive 266 meters in length. In addition, they are equipped with a sophisticated back-support system, housing control rooms and substations, ranking among the largest TBMs ever deployed for rail tunnel excavation in Malaysia.
