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KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 —
Putrajaya has yet to finalize the financing and project manager’s fees for
the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) although planning has started for
initial civil engineering works to begin in November, said the regulator.
Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief executive officer Mohd Nur
Kamal said only a Letter of Award (LoA) has been issued to the
MMC-Gamuda
joint-venture as the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) but the fees has yet
to be settled.
“We are working hard to finalize it and it will made public before the
groundbreaking in July,” he told a special briefing to journalists
yesterday. The multi-billion ringgit MRT, which was initially estimated at
RM36 billion for three lines, has come under fire for scant details, but
Mohd Nur said information will be given when available. |
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He announced that the July groundbreaking is only for the depot site near to
Sungai Buloh
Station and the start and end of the underground portion in
Jalan Semantan
Station and
Jalan
Cochrane Station, adding actual work will start in November.
He confirmed that
MMC-Gamuda
must meet the project deadline of 2016 or be penalised for late delivery.
“This partnership is about enhanced gain or pain for them,” Mohd Nur said,
adding as the regulator, they want to make sure the project is carried out
in the best fashion.
“If they can’t sign, we will ask the project owner Syarikat Prasarana
Nasional Berhad (SPNB) to get a new partner. This is a priority project,” he
added.
Mohd Nur said the Finance Ministry has set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV)
to raise funds for the project but said the method has yet to be determined.
Despite that, MRT owner SPNB and the PDP,
MMC-Gamuda,
have already advertised to pre-qualify contractors for the elevated line,
elevated station and depot.
According to SPNB managing director Shahril Mokhtar, the first tenders will
be open in June or July for the first 16 packages for the elevated portion
while bids for the tunneling work for a 9.5km stretch under the capital city
will be awarded in December.
He disclosed that a one-stop technical committee will evaluate the bids
before recommending it to a Finance Ministry committee that will decide on
the contract awards.
“It’s their money so they decide,” Shahril said, adding this was different
from the current LRT extension works which is funded by bonds issued by SPNB.
But he pointed out that any contract above RM300 million would require the
ministry’s nod.
The SPNB chief said some 100 firms have applied for pre-qualification for
the 16 packages in the elevated part of the 51km-long MRT; the deadline for
pre-qualification ends on April 13.
Those who win the contracts will have to sign a tripartite agreement with
SPNB and
MMC-Gamuda as the project manager, Shahril added.
Mohd Nur said the tripartite agreement will ensure contractors’ failures can
be overcome by using the PDP’s expertise to complete the packages.
“They have to work hard, otherwise these guys will eat their lunch anytime
they fall,” Mohd Nur quipped.
He added the government will appoint another project manager for the
tunneling work if
MMC-Gamuda
wins the job.
MMC-Gamuda had proposed the MRT project as it was the tunneling
contractor for the SMART flood water dispersion project.
“The PDP can’t be the project manager if it bids for a job. That is why it
cannot take part in the tender for the elevated portion,” Mohd Nur said.
He also added that SPNB is already working on an integrated ticketing system
for both the train and bus systems, apart from ensuring that the
MRT stations are
integrated with the current network.
Mohd Nur also pointed out that 13 out of the
35 stations will have park
and ride facilities with a total of 4,000 parking bays.
“We are listening to feedback and will have time to fine tune the network
before construction ends,” he added.
The MRT is the country’s biggest infrastructure project and also the largest
National Key Economic Area (NKEA) project under Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Razak’s New Economic Model (NEM).
The massive project is expected to generate
130,000 jobs in its five year construction phase. The government hopes
that more than half of the population in Greater KL will use the public
transport system to prevent traffic congestion.
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Disclaimer:
Such news and article is a verbatim copy from other websites and
is solely for the purpose of providing general
information about the proposed KL MRT, it may be changed by the Project
Owner of the KL MRT at any time and must not be relied upon in
connection with any investment decision. The website owner
should not be held liable for any informational errors,
incompleteness, or delays, or for any actions taken in
reliance on information contained herein.
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