M'sia-S'pore Rapid Transit System feasibility study to be ready by end-Nov

JOHOR BARU: Malaysia and Singapore have a year starting from next month to make their decision on the Malaysia-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) link project.

Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) chief executive officer Datuk Ismail Ibrahim (pic) said the feasibility study on the project would be completed by the end of this month.

He said phase one of the joint-engineering study would focus on the various alignments, customs, immigration and quarantine-related matters and multimodal terminal locations and other critical perimeters.

“Although both countries have a year to discuss the matter, they don't really have to wait to complete the cycle before making the announcement,'' Ismail told StarBiz.

He said a joint-announcement could be made any time from December until November 2013, if they found the study was good and the project was viable.

Ismail said the announcement could either be made in the first or third quarter of 2013, or even a month after the study was submitted to the respective government.

“Although both countries have a year to discuss the matter, they don’t really have to wait to complete the cycle before making the announcement,’’ Ismail told StarBiz.

“This one year time-frame doesn't mean a delay. We are giving ourselves ample time to study the project, but it must be running and operating by 2018,'' he said.

He said Malaysia and Singapore need to consult their respective agencies and discuss the project at the top level, before cascading it to the implementing agencies.

“There are three possibilities or options for the RTS project linking Johor Baru and Singapore,'' said Ismail.

He said the first option was to build another Causeway or a land bridge, while the second one was an elevated bridge and the last choice was to build a tunnel.

Ismail explained an elevated bridge could be a low bridge with an elevation of below 15m and impassable by boats or a high bridge of at least seven storey high or more than 35m high and passable to large vessels.

He said the third option was a tunnel a tube tunnel made elsewhere and sank from the surface of the sea or a bore tunnel involving drilling work like the Smart tunnel in Kuala Lumpur.

“Which is the better choice (the RTS link) will depend on the recommendations of the study, engineering point of view, costing as well as environmental impact,'' said Ismail.

He said the undersea tunnel was more favourable as it would have minimal disruptions to traffic movements during construction as the project would be located near to the CIQ complexes of Malaysia and Singapore.

However, Ismail said the final outcome on what kind of link was the prerogative of both governments, adding that Johor and Irda would welcome any of the choice made by the two countries.

“The main idea of having the new link is to cater for the people's movement and to accommodate for bigger volume and improve connectivity and accessibility between Johor Baru and Singapore,'' he said.

Ismail hoped that the final choice made on the link would result in a permanent solution in solving the current congestion on the existing Causeway.

In May this year, Malaysia and Singapore had announced that both countries would undertake a project to improve connectivity by opening a RTS from Singapore to Johor Baru by 2018.

The joint Singapore-Malaysia statement said that the terminating stations of the link would be in the city of JB Sentral here and the vicinity of Republic Polytechnic in Singapore.

It added that the RTS link was targeted to be up and operating by 2018 and to have a co-located facility in Singapore and Johor Baru so that commuters needed to clear immigration only once for each way of travel.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/16/business/12325879&sec=business

UEM Builders posts RM29m Q1 net profit

UEM Builders posts RM29m Q1 net profit
Business Times
Published: 2008/05/30

UEM Builders Bhd reported RM29.2 million net profit on RM595.8 million revenue in the first quarter ended March 31 2008, compared with RM17 million net profit and RM714.6 million revenue in the same period last year.The firm said the lower revenue was mainly due to completion of major domestic construction projects in 2007 such as the Rawang-Ipoh electrified double track project and PLUS third lane widening project (Seremban-Ayer Keroh), while other new projects are in the start-up phase and have yet to generate revenue."We are happy with the results and will strive to achieve our targets despite a challenging business environment where significant cost escalation in material prices has become the norm," managing director Datuk Ridza Abdoh Salleh said in a statement.He said the company is implementing various measures to counter the impact of price volatility in construction materials and fuel, including the inclusion of negotiated price escalation clauses in the construction contracts.
"Moving forward, the group is positive that the Penang second bridge project will be implemented as planned," he said, adding that progress of works on the project has been significant and the company has incurred more than RM200 million to-date.

2nd Penang Bridge ready by 2011 - MOF2

2008/05/26
NST
'Bridge will be ready by 2011'
By Audrey Dermawannews@nst.com.my

BUTTERWORTH: The government will stick to its 2011 deadline for the completion of the Second Penang Bridge, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said.
He gave an assurance that the RM4.3 billion project, linking Batu Kawan in Seberang Perai Selatan and Batu Maung on the island, would be implemented as scheduled."Work is currently in progress. We will stick to the 2011 deadline," he said after presenting house keys to the 2004 tsunami victims in Kuala Muda here yesterday.

Some 400 people received the keys to their new homes.Nor Mohamed was responding to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who said at the same event that the bridge project was important to attract foreign investments, following a RM1.2 billion pledge by Japanese-based Ibiden Co Ltd last week.

He said prospective investors had asked about the bridge project and wanted an assurance it would proceed as planned.Work on the 24km bridge, scheduled to be opened by January 2011, has been delayed by nine months.

Nor Mohamed, the Tasek Gelugor MP, said the federal government spent about RM33.68 million on the construction of the new homes and another RM9.4 million on the land.Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Finance Ministry Inc, built the homes. Each home cost RM45,000 but beneficiaries only paid a third of the amount. They also received RM1,000 each as moving expenses.Present were Penaga assemblyman Datuk Azhar Ibrahim and SPNB chairman Datuk Azian Osman.

2nd Penang Bridge: More ships for sea-deepening job

2nd Penang Bridge: More ships for sea-deepening job
By Marina Emmanuel Published: 2008/04/30 BUSINESS TIMES

CHINA Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC), the main contractor of the second Penang bridge, is awaiting the arrival of 18 more ships to complete its sea-deepening work for the project. It is learnt that the Beijing-based company, which has already brought in two dredging ships, is waiting for permits from local authorities to bring in the remaining vessels.
"It is likely to take CHEC four months to complete the deepening work, and the company remains confident that it can finish its 17km sea-portion of the bridge on schedule," industry sources told Business Times.

CHEC, which set up an office in Penang last year, has so far deployed 200 of its staff for the project.

The 24km second Penang bridge (of which 17km will be on water) linking Penang island and Seberang Prai, is the largest overseas project for CHEC in terms of value. Upon completion in 2011, the bridge is set to be the longest in Southeast Asia.

State-owned CHEC is a Fortune 500 company, with a global footprint via 15 companies and 20 overseas resident offices. It is a unit of China Communications Construction Co Ltd, China's top port builder. UEM Construction Sdn Bhd has named CHEC as its main contractor for the bridge project and a consortium, named CHEC-UEMC, has been formed. CHEC holds 51 per cent of the venture while UEM has the rest.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Finance Minister, is expected to chair a special meeting this week on the bridge project. It is learnt that Abdullah, together with Tan Sri Zaini Omar, who heads a taskforce on the project, is expected to sit down with the project's stakeholders which include Minister of Finance officials, UEM and CHEC to finalise cost and design issues.

Sources say that the government will allow no variation orders to the ceiling price of the bridge which has been set at RM4.3 billion. "CHEC has told the government that its 17km sea portion will cost RM2.3 billion and expressed its willingness to have independent parties verify its costing for the sea portion," they added.

Second Penang Bridge plan on despite delay

GEORGE TOWN (NST 2008-04-27): The Second Penang Bridge project is on track despite announcements that may have suggested otherwise.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the federal government would proceed with the RM4.3 billion project linking Batu Kawan in Seberang Perai Selatan and Batu Maung on the island.He said the government had wanted to review the construction cost, design and land acquisition process and not the project itself.

"Once these issues are resolved, we expect the construction of the bridge to proceed as planned but pending that, there will a delay in carrying out the project," he said after chairing the inaugural Federal Action Council for Penang meeting in Tasek Gelugor yesterday."This, however, does not suggest that the federal government is reviewing the project with an intention to scrap it," he told a news conference here after meeting his constituents in Teluk Air Tawar here yesterday.

Nor Mohamed said many quarters had misunderstood Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's announcement that the project would be delayed and would be reviewed under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).Nor Mohamed, who is Tasek Gelugor member of parliament, said the main concern was to ensure that the design would reduce cost."We are also reviewing the entire cost of the project as we are facing a steep price increase in construction materials," he said.The building of the 24km bridge is expected to be completed by 2011.The deadline to complete the building of the bridge has been extended by nine months. UEM and its consortium partner, China Harbour Engineering Company, are building the bridge.

Nor Mohamed said the review was not subject to the Second Penang Bridge alone but to all major projects to be rolled out under the 9MP due to the rising cost of building materials."This global trend (price hike) has forced the government to adjust major economic policies as we foresee the situation lasting for the next few years."He added that the government was looking into ways to ensure that all projects under 9MP were carried out.

Meanwhile, Nor Mohamed said both the federal and state governments needed to work together for the proposed RM2.2 billion Penang monorail project. He said it would be difficult for the federal government to proceed with the project if the two governments did not co-operate."This is important because land matters are under their (state government's) purview. It would be difficult for us to implement the project."There must be understanding among us or it will be difficult to implement projects."Nor Mohamad did not elaborate on the help required by the federal government but added that it had no intention to put such projects in the state on hold."We have stated that we are sincere in bringing development, progress and prosperity to the people of Penang."

He said the government had yet to approve the monorail system and the Penang Outer Ring Road, another mega project."They are not in the list of projects approved under the Ninth Malaysia Plan."We have not come to that stage yet. "There are some matters relating to land acquisition which have to be settled," he said when asked to comment on Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's statement that the state was keen to proceed with the monorail project.


NST 2008-04-28
He (LGE) said the project needed the cooperation and approval of the state government as it involved state land.
The RM1.2 billion monorail project is among mega projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan that involves building a 51.2km track to complement the island’s public transportation network.