KL-Singapore HSR To Be Fully Operational By 2026

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), July 19 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project is expected to be fully operational by 2026. This was revealed in a joint press conference by Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong after both leaders witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to kick-off the iconic project here Tuesday. Najib said the MoU would guide the development of a legally-binding bilateral agreement, which entails great details of the HSR project, to be signed by Malaysia and Singapore governments towards the end of this year. "A bilateral committee will also be jointly set up by both governments," he said, adding that the committee would comprise officials from both countries to regulate the cross-border services and other joint aspects of the project. Najib said a joint project team was being set up, comprising representatives from MyHSR Corporation and Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA), to jointly implement and address integrational aspects of the project. MyHSR, wholly-owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated, is a project delivery vehicle for the HSR project. Upon the singing of the bilateral agreement, the MyHSR-LTA joint project team would then prepare a tender process for the HSR project, which expected to be issued next year, he said. The 350-km HSR project will have eight stations, namely Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat, Iskandar Puteri, and Singapore. The project will reduce travel time between the two countries to just 90 minutes, with speeds of over 300km per hour. Najib said the project had received great amount of interest from locally and internationally, with many countries offering to share their experience and expertise. He said the project is a reflection of the future of Malaysia and Singapore, an area of growing prosperity. "A new lifestyle to be enjoyed by Malaysians and Singaporeans, and visitors alike... imagine a 90-minute train ride will get you across to Singapore and vice versa. "One can have breakfast in Kuala Lumpur, lunch in Singapore and back in time for dinner in Kuala Lumpur. This is the shape of things to come. It goes to show how much you can achieve if we work together in the spirit of good neighbourliness," he added. Lee, meanwhile, said following the MoU signing, he foresees further need for the two countries to work closely together for the implementation aspect of the project as it has a lot of components. "This project has an ambitious timetable of 10 years to completion for a cross-border high-speed rail, because even for MRT lines in Singapore, it took up to 15 years from inception to completion," he added. -- BERNAMA