Singapore and KL agree on new transport links
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High-speed rail-line to Kuala Lumpur, ferry and 3rd road on drawing board
Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore by 2020, in a move that both heads of government called a “game-changer”.
Announcing the breakthrough agreement at a press conference today following bilateral talks, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the rail link would create a 90-minute door-to-door journey for commuters, and that it would “change the way we do business, the way we look at each other and interact”.
He pointed to the Eurostar link between Paris and London, which transformed “two European cities into one virtual urban community” as a model for the KL-SG link, according to The Straits Times.
Malaysian PM Najib Razak said that the project would be a private-public one, with the link built by private contractors with state infrastructural support. He declined to estimate how much the project would cost.
PM Lee said Mr Najib suggested the rail link to him a few months ago and he agreed it was a good idea. While the details are not yet finalised, they agreed that this Leaders’ Retreat would be a good time to announce the plan.
Asked how the upcoming Malaysian polls, in which Mr Najib’s ruling BN is expected to face a tough fight, would affect this plan and others that the two leaders have made, PM Najib said that these were “long term plans” that require “continuity and stability”.
“It’s quite obvious what I mean,” he said with a smile.
PM Lee added with a laugh: “We would like continuity and stability too.”
In a joint statement on Tuesday, both leaders also noted the possibility of a third road link between both countries, Malaysia’s The Star reported.
They also expect operations of the new ferry terminal in Tanjung Puteri to commence this year.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said both sides had agreed to go ahead with the Rapid Transit System (RTS) linking Johor Baru with Singapore.
He said both countries had a year to draft the plans on the preferred option for the RTS, and under phase one, the alignment and station scheme options would be identified. Among the options being considered is a bridge or an underground tunnel link.
