[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – In 2013, Singapore and Malaysia agreed to build a 350km high-speed rail (HSR) line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, which would have reduced travel time to 90 minutes compared to more than four hours by car.
On Friday (January 1), both countries announced in a joint statement that the HSR has been terminated, after both countries failed to reach an agreement on the changes proposed by Malaysia before the December 31 deadline.
Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said in a separate statement that Malaysia had allowed the HSR bilateral agreement to be terminated and that it has to compensate Singapore for costs already incurred, in accordance with the agreement.
Here’s a timeline of key milestones in the now-defunct project.
February 19, 2013: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak agree to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore after meeting at the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat in Singapore.
October 9, 2015: Singapore and Malaysia jointly launch an information request for the High Speed Rail (HSR) project.
July 19, 2016: PM Lee and Mr. Najib witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the HSR.
December 13, 2016: Singapore and Malaysia sign a legally binding bilateral agreement to build the new rail line, with the goal of getting the trains running by December 31, 2026. The HSR is hailed as a “flagship project.”
December 20, 2017: Singapore and Malaysia launch a joint international tender for an asset company that will be responsible for the design, construction, financing and maintenance of all rolling stock as well as rail assets for the HSR.
May 28, 2018: Malaysia’s new prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, whose coalition defeated Najib in May elections, says the country has made “a final decision” to abandon plans for the HSR. He says the project would cost Malaysia RM110 billion (S $ 36.2 billion) and will not earn him a penny.
June 11, 2018: Tun Dr. Mahathir backs down on his earlier comments and says the HSR was temporarily shelved due to its high costs.
September 5, 2018: Malaysia and Singapore sign an agreement to postpone work on the HSR for approximately two years, until May 31, 2020. The HSR is now expected to start on January 1, 2031. Under the agreement, Malaysia agrees to reimburse Singapore $ 15 million at the end -January 2019 for abortion costs incurred by the postponement of the mega project. The postponement also causes both parties to cancel the ongoing international joint tender for the asset company.
May 31, 2020: Singapore agrees to further suspend the HSR project for a further seven months until the end of the year. The then Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan says the Republic accepted Malaysia’s request in a spirit of bilateral cooperation.
November 26, 2020: The Transport Ministry said Malaysia has proposed changes to the HSR and Singapore has been discussing them in good faith.
December 2, 2020: Prime Minister Lee and Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin discuss the project via video conference.
January 1, 2021: The HSR project ends after both countries failed to reach an agreement on Malaysia’s proposed changes before the December 31 deadline.
[ad_2]
