Electrified Double Track Gemas-Bahru Rail project, Malaysia

Connecting the southern tip of the country

The Gemas-Johor Bahru Electrified Double Track Railway project is a Malaysian Government request to complement the existing electrified railway service that connects Padang Besar, in the north of Peninsular Malaysia, to Gemas, in the south.

The project starts in Gemas and covers 4 main districts of Johor: Segamat, Kluang, Kulai and Johor Bahru. It ends in Johor Bahru Sentral. The line will provide Malaysia with electrified tracks that connect to the southern tip of the country. The distance of the track is 192 km and passes through 11 stations with a nominal speed of 160 km/h.

The ground improvement solution

Menard was contracted to supply and install 1.0 m diameter stone columns using the dry method in 3 of the 5 key sections of the project. More than 200,000 linear meter of stone columns were installed.

The stone column technique has been chosen to improve the soil between 5 and up to 15 m in depth so that the embankment, to support the new railway line, could be built. The height of the embankment can reach 7 m.

The main challenge of this project is that the construction works had to be carried out while the existing railway line was still operational. Thus, Menard had to plan very carefully to ensure that the installation of the stone columns could be carried out safely and without disrupting rail traffic.

The Menard group develops foundation solutions based on ground improvement and reinforcement technologies. Its treatments eliminate the need for the deep foundations traditionally used to support surface structures.

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