On, off, maybe, off, on again? Malaysia can’t seem to make up its mind on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project. According to transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, talks with Singapore about the revival of the HSR will start in the second quarter of the year, which starts next month.
Wee told parliament this week that his ministry had been tasked to initiate discussions with the Singapore government, and that talks were still in the early stages. “Currently, the transport ministry is preparing to hold preliminary discussions with Singapore in the second quarter of the year,” he said, reported by The Star.
Now, this isn’t at all a surprise. The dead and buried (so we thought; Malaysia has already paid compensation for cancellation) KL-SG HSR popped up again when prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob made an official visit to Singapore in November 2021. Then, he suggested reviving discussions on the HSR to his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.
“Prime minister (Ismail Sabri) suggested reviving discussions on the HSR. I responded to the PM that Singapore and Malaysia had previously reached an agreement to terminate the HSR project, and this had been amicably settled and closed,” Lee said then.
“Nevertheless, Singapore is open to fresh proposals from Malaysia on the HSR project, and the two ministries of transport will discuss the matter. Singapore looks forward to receiving more details from Malaysia so that we can study them and consider the matter again starting from a clean slate,” the Singapore PM added.
Here’s a recap and timeline of the KL-SG HSR project. Back in December 2016, Malaysia and Singapore signed a bilateral agreement to facilitate the project, which was supposed to have begun construction in 2018 and completed in 2025, with operations slated to begin in 2026.
In September 2018, at the request of Malaysia, both governments agreed to postpone the project until May 31, 2020 to allow for the identification of cost reduction options, including reviewing and optimising the alignment, station locations and the business model. The deferment resulted in Malaysia paying S$15 million (around RM45.1 million at the time) as compensation for the abortive costs incurred by Singapore. The payment was made at the end of January 2019.
In May 2020, the deferment was again extended to December 31. The decision to cancel the project will incur cost for the country. Previously, it was reported that Malaysia would have to reimburse Singapore for the project implementation costs incurred by the latter up to the point of suspension.
The HSR project was called off on January 1, 2021, after Singapore could not agree to Malaysia’s proposed changes.
“Both governments had conducted several discussions with regard to these changes and had not been able to reach an agreement. Therefore, the HSR agreement had lapsed on December 31, 2020. Both countries will abide by their respective obligations, and will now proceed with the necessary actions, resulting from this termination of the HSR agreement,” read a joint statement by then Malaysian PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Lee.
In March 2021, Malaysia announced that it had paid S$102.8 million (RM318 million) to Singapore for costs incurred for the development of the HSR project and in relation to the extension of its suspension.
The HSR was originally planned as a 350 km-long double-track route (335 km of which was supposed to be in Malaysia, and 15 km in Singapore) with eight stops in total – Singapore, Iskandar Puteri, Batu Pahat, Muar, Ayer Keroh, Seremban, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur. A bridge over the Straits of Johor – with a height clearance of 25 metres – would have linked the line between both countries.
The service was projected to run 10 car-long trains – with the capacity for up to 100 passengers per car – at average speeds of 300 km/h, which would bring the rail travel time between KL and Singapore down to 90 minutes, excluding clearance at customs, immigration and quarantine.
Three years ago, a much cheaper alternative to the HSR was mooted, and this proposed an upgrade to existing rail infrastructure instead of the HSR’s approach of building a new line from scratch. This more affordable alternative – with a much longer 130-minute travel time – was then estimated to cost the Malaysian government RM20 billion, a far lower sum than the HSR’s estimated cost of between RM60 billion to RM70 billion.
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MRT3 and this HSR…signs of desperados trying to milk Bolehland dry before 2023.
Just pathetic.Rakyat forced to withdraw another 10K to survive from KWSP.
But these dudes got so much lobbying power to borrow billions to these justify mega projects.Just marketing BS.
The reasoning is very simple. HSR will bring our country to the next level of economy & trade.
BN that proposed this wanted us to achieve that next level towards high income status.
PH that cancelled this did not want us to be rich, they want us to remain poor forever.
BN2.0 that reactivated HSR wants us to get back on track towards high income.
This is such a dumb argument. HSR will and does not guarantee more trade. HSR is too costly and I doubt there is any case that can make the project fly. Air travel is more practical.
Good policies attract investment regardless of HSR or not.
Stupid logic, Japan were lucky there were no people with mentality like you back when Shinkansen was proposed otherwise that icon would not existed. You can doubt all you like, but existing HSR around the globe proved you factually wrong and once good policies have all been used up, a HSR connection will bring us to another level. Too bad your too myopic in your view.
And what is your guarantee that not having HSR will guarantee more trade? You want us to remain poor forever is it? Piiiiiraaahhhlahhh!!!
all the HSR rails around the world, especially countries with shared HSR say and proved otherwise lmao. No wonder Malaysia till now is so backwards and poor. Not having HSR when other countries long have them is so well developed and prospers. Is a shame that we Thailand have such a useless neighbour like Malaysia if not we would have HSR and as developed as South Korea and Japan
1. It was officially canceled during PN’s administration
2. PH was just wanted to review for a cheaper alternative
3. It is shady af. The price for, say, MRT1 was a lot higher than other MRT projects in ASEAN or world even for just few km.
HSR has plenty of multiplier effects. Before BN downfall, there was talk of using Johor HSR stations as hubs for LRT & MRT city rails. Such dreams was postponed with the fall, but now they are back we can hope they will revive that dream again starting with HSR revival. Johoreans made the right choice.
Bodoh ke?
So that free RM318 million paid by our brilliant government can be refunded ? Who is supposed to bare the cost now for that decision >
The Government should ask Pakatan Harapan to pay back the penalty as it was their decision to cancel the project without any proper study to back their reason in cancelling it.
Bro r u high it was PN government who canceled the project and decided to pay that lump of money dont spread fake news.
https://paultan.org/2018/09/06/hsr-to-begin-operations-by-january-2031-rm45-1-million-to-be-paid-to-singapore-for-postponement/
See the date stamp. Who was ruling then?
Postpone and cancel also cannot differentiate is it? You din read this article is it? It was officially canceled during PN’s administration when both govt couldn’t come to an agreement.
Now with economic uncertainties due to pandemic, we needed this more than ever. Those MEXITers who buried their heads and blindly cancelled the project should be shot.
The HSR, like Japan’s shinkansen or Eurotunnel train, would have given us a distinct advantage in this region, connecting us between financial hub in Singapore and the ECRL coming all the way from China.
Now with ECRL revival there is further impetus for us to connect the world together in a pan-regional rail network and we are the central hub like New York’s Grand Central Station.
Let’s get this off, get this done, and get this thru til the end without anymore stupid delays and cancellations, we lost so much time reversing those MEXIT decisions.
The hsr should also stop at jb sentral. Not just singapore jurong east station. After batu pahat, that rail line should split, one to jb, another to jurong.
I cannot see any logic in spending more money building rail track in singspore after we gave away ktm land there.
The cost of land acquisition in singspore will be up to 10 times ours. Or more if i know PAP.
That is why we must make sure line branches out to jb sentral. The tickets from jb sentral will be more affordable and can use as a gauge to ensure Singapore does not overcharge.
To make this project viable we need the singkies paying for it, do you think our rakyat will pay RM200 per journey, which is the likely cost to even breakeven the project. Gov has already taken enough money from EPF and I don’t want them to subsidise this anymore. Its a stupid idea to add cost and bring this to JB sentral, let this go to SG and milk the singkies dry, RM200 is only SGD 68++.
Sinkies will pay for it, but so will us rich Msians who typically travel by air to SG prior to Covid. The shortened travel period will sway their options.