Unsatisfactory design and repeated amendments were among the reasons that resulted in the delay of the RM4.6 billion electrified rail project between Rawang and Ipoh.

In a written Parliamentary reply to Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor), Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy detailed 10 reasons why the controversial project was 17 months behind schedule.

It included DRB-Hicom's delay in finalising the consultant's contract for more than a year after the contract took effect and this had affected design preparations.

"(Subsequently,) the design quality by the consultant at the project's early stage was unsatisfactory and needed repeated amendments," said Chan in the reply dated yesterday.

"The value engineering which was used at the designing stage was inadequate. This resulted in the design amendment made once during the constructing phase and delayed ongoing works," he added.

Other reasons, according to the minister, were DRB-Hicom's failure to implement the design works accordingly to its original budget and scheduled plan, as well as the delay in finalising the appointment of sub-contractors between 15 to 18 months after the contract took effect.

He said the delay in land measurement works resulted in the delay of land acquisition and identifying obstacles in the construction side such as squatters.

Chan also blamed DRB-Hicom's weakness in managing the sub-contractors and inefficient distribution of work among the sub-contractors.

"Half of the sub-contractors' performance was weak, lack of manpower and machinery," he added.

To be completed by Dec 2007

He also attributed the delay to DRB-Hicom taking a long time to confirm the claims by and compensations for sub-contractors .

The minister said the government had intervened in the matter and set up a special task force to expedite the project.

On June 1, the government took over the project again and gave it to a new entity to handle the remaining work.

It was reported that the new contractor to win the project was UEM World Berhad.

"The overall progress of the project till May 31 this year was 86.49 percent as opposed to the scheduled 99.88 percent. The project is estimated to be completed in December 2007," said Chan.

The government had canceled DRB-Hicom's contract for 180-km rail track project in May.

DRB-Hicom group, whose major businesses include automotive, property and infrastructure, is controlled by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary.