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PETALING JAYA: Singapore’s Ministry of Transport says Malaysia has proposed changes to the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore (HSR) high-speed rail.
According to the Singapore Straits Times, a ministry spokesperson said Singapore has been discussing these proposed changes in “good faith” with Malaysia, although no details were released.
“Singapore continues to believe that the HSR project is beneficial to both countries and remains fully committed to meeting our obligations under the HSR bilateral agreement. We will do our best to conclude the talks with Malaysia by December 31, 2020, “the spokesman said.
The spokesperson added that if Malaysia does not proceed with the project by December 31, the country will have to bear the costs incurred by Singapore to fulfill its part of the agreement.
The Singapore Ministry of Transport’s comments echo those of the Singapore High Commission and come in the wake of a FMT report in which sources said the project is expected to continue without Singapore’s involvement.
The sources said the new plan was for the line to terminate in Johor Bahru instead of Singapore and that Putrajaya has informed his Singaporean counterpart about the matter.
In May, Singapore accepted a request from Malaysia to postpone the start of the project until the end of this year to allow discussions on the changes Putrajaya had in mind.
Sources FMT spoke with criticized a move to exclude Singapore, raising questions about the project’s viability and the impact on Malaysia’s relations with the island republic.
The FMT has contacted the offices of the senior minister of economy, the minister of economic affairs and the minister of transport for their comments and is awaiting their responses.
