Rapid train project page to officially stop Singapore and Malaysia

KOMPAS.com – The governments of Singapore and Malaysia have officially announced the cancellation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed ​​Rail (HSR) fast track project connecting the two countries.

HRS is a large project carried out together with the two neighboring states that connect the capital city of Kuala Lumpur with the Jurong area in Singapore.

In their official statement, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that the project was temporarily canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Regarding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Malaysian economy, the Malaysian government has proposed several changes to the HSR project,” Muhyiddin Yassin said. Channelnewsasia, Saturday (1/2/2021).

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“The two countries remain committed to maintaining good bilateral relations, working closely in various sectors, including strengthening connectivity between the two countries,” he continued.

Meanwhile, quoted from Bloomberg, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has made a series of agreements between the two countries have to undergo several changes that have made the two countries agree to stop cooperation for the development of ISS.

The announcement of the termination of the cooperation coincides with the end of 2020 or will only be officially announced on December 31, 2020.

The project arises from the beginning of the two countries to develop the area through which the ISS project passes. After becoming a public debate, the two countries agreed to start building high-speed trains together in 2013.

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The total length of the railway line from Kuala Lumpur to Jurong reaches 218 miles or 350 kilometers.

With the express train, the travel time from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore can be reduced to only about 90 minutes. Compare to using a private vehicle or bus that takes more than 4 hours.

From Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, there are also many flights that only take about 1 hour, but that does not include the time for check in, immigration check, and travel to the airport.

If completed, the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore fast train project will operate in 2026.

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Previously, the Malaysian side had proposed a series of revised schematics to the Singapore government, especially related to the station’s design, the project structure and the progress of project completion two years earlier.

According to the Malaysian government, the accelerated HSR project will reduce the negative impact of the economic recession during the pandemic.

Malaysia’s Economy Minister Mustapa Mohamed, in a separate statement, said the Kuala Lumpur government also wanted to allow more flexible financing options, including deferred payments and public-private partnerships.

The HSR project of the two countries had become controversial in Malaysia. In the era of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who resigned in February 2020, he tried to cancel the HSR deal.

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Mahathir’s reason at the time was that Malaysia still had to deal with mounting debt. The Malaysian government remains burdened by debt payments of more than RM1 trillion, or about US $ 249 billion.

Mahathir said Malaysia had to pay RM110 billion to finance the HSR project. The costs incurred by Malaysia are higher because there are more high-speed rail tracks in the country. Meanwhile, the benefits for Malaysia are considered less commensurate.

“Both countries will comply with their respective obligations and will now proceed with the necessary actions, as a result of the termination of this HSR Agreement,” the joint statement read.

With the completion of the project, Malaysia will also have to pay compensation fees to Singapore.

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