Malaysia-Singpore high-speed rail project to have 7 stops
Play
The high-speed rail project connecting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur will have seven stops in Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat and Nusajaya. While several of the proposed stations had been revealed earlier this
Construction of the line could begin some time next year, although the actual date has yet to be fixed.
Giving an update on the sidelines of a high-speed rail conference in Tokyo, Syed Hamid said that Malaysia had completed its feasibility study for the project, which had been shared with Singapore.
Malaysia is now waiting for Singapore’s own feasibility study for its section of the proposed 320km to 340km rail, which started in August and is ongoing.
When asked about the timeline of the project, Syed Hamid said construction could start in the third quarter of next year.
“I think that [construction will begin] likely in the third quarter of next year. This is my own guess,” he said. “We targeted it for next year. When exactly... we will wait for a meeting between us and Singapore [to decide that].”
When the high-speed rail is introduced, commuters will be able to travel between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur within 90 minutes. Including the time for waiting, transfers and immigration clearance, the total journey could take around two-and-a-half hours.
Before work can begin, however, details such as the financing and the exact location of the terminus had to be ironed out, Syed Hamid said.
For Malaysia, the terminus will be in Bandar Malaysia while Singapore has three possibilities – the city centre, Jurong East and Tuas West.
While an international tender will be called when both countries are ready, Syed Hamid noted that several countries, including Japan and China, had already expressed their interest in delivering the project.
