Underground work on MRT Line 2 begins

PETALING JAYA: The construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP) Line hit another milestone following the commencement of its underground tunnels work.
This was marked by the launch of its first tunnel boring machine (TBM) to be used for the project by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the Bandar Malaysia North station today.
The TBM is the first of 12 to be used for the SSP Line, with its 12th and final machine expected to be launched by mid-2019.
The first machine launched today, which was previously used for the Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line, is also the first such machine to undergo refurbishment in Malaysia at a facility in Pusing, Perak.
The SSP Line requires 12 TBMs, compared with just the eight for the SBK Line, as it has more underground stations (11 compared with seven) and a longer underground alignment (13.5km to 9.5km).
When completed, the SSP Line will have a total of 35 stations spanning 52.2km - of which 11 stations will be underground - with an estimated daily ridership of 529,000 when it reaches maturity