KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is moving forward in its public transport infrastructure by incorporating U-Trough girders in its Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3) project.
Precast U-Trough construction is an innovative building method that involves combining precast concrete components, such as slabs and walls, to form a U-shaped structure.
This technique enhances construction efficiency by utilising prefabricated elements, allowing for quicker assembly on-site.
The U-shaped configuration provides structural stability and can be employed in various building applications, offering a balance of speed and cost-effectiveness, as it could speed up the overall construction project to benefit more than two million users in the western corridor of Klang Valley.
The usage of this type of U-girder is deemed to be the catalyst of futuristic public transport in the country due to its advantages of urban integration, including built-in noise barriers to reduce possible noise emission from the Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) on the track, as well as flexibility of erected location among other factors.
Lighter and more durable than the traditional Segmental Box Girder (SBG), U-Girder also possesses unique features that take a lower fabrication period compared to SBG used in existing railway systems.
With a U-Trough girder, Malaysia stands on par with other countries’ railway systems, such as the Delhi Metro in India, the ongoing Greater Jakarta LRT project, as well as Melbourne’s Skye Level Crossing Removal, which is also using the same infrastructure.
In addition, U-Trough girders are widely used in countries with advanced rail systems, such as Japan, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.
The usage of the U-Trough in LRT3 construction is also deemed more economical in terms of time and cost-savings as one span of the girder can be installed within a day, as compared to the existing SBG system that was used for existing railway systems in Malaysia.
The U-girder is also time-saving as it will not be disruptive to the public as the casting and making of U-girders takes place in Setia Utama LRT3 Sdn Bhd’s casting yard in Bandar Saujana Putra, Selangor.
Before being installed on the railway line, the U-girder goes through layers and rounds of inspection at the casting side, before it is transported to the project site and goes through another inspection before it is hoisted onto the pier and reinspected once it is installed on the pier.
The finished product will then be transported to the site rail project on a specific vehicle, escorted by LRT3’s auxiliary police.
The launching works are often be carried out at night to ensure road users’ safety and minimise the risk of prolonged traffic congestion.
As of April last year, there are a total of 2,040 U-Trough girders installed throughout the LRT3 line that spans 37.8 km and three different district councils, namely Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, and Klang City Council.
The LRT3 project which is estimated to cost over RM16 billion, is scheduled to begin operating on March 1, 2025.
With more than 20 stations and two interchanges – Bandar Utama and Glenmarie – which connect to the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line and LRT Kelana Jaya Line, respectively, LRT3 project’s overall progress reached over 91.86% in Q4 2023.
The LRT3 will be using 22 sets of three-car trains, which in turn will use green technologies that can transport 18,630 users an hour per direction. – January 30, 2024