M’sia Govt: MY-SG High-Speed Rail (HSR) May Still Happen But There’s a Catch

By
Lin Jiawen
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Once upon a time, Singaporeans could dream of entering Kuala Lumpur in just 90 minutes via the High-Speed Rail (HSR) and vice versa.

(Yes, for those who don’t remember, it was actually a thing.)

In December 2016, both governments in Singapore and Malaysia agreed to embark on the project. The HSR was supposed to be constructed by 2026.

However, it was put on hold in September 2018 and subsequently terminated in January 2021 after both countries were unable to reach an agreement regarding changes that were proposed by Malaysia.

Malaysia also ended up paying $102.8 million to Singapore to compensate us for the development and delays of the HSR.

Now, it seems like the project worth $32.9 billion might be back, but there’s a catch.

Here’s what it’s all about.

Malaysia Government May Revive Project, But Only if It’s Funded by the Private Sector

When speaking at the Invest Malaysia event at The St Regis hotel yesterday (8 March), Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed that the Malaysian government is open to reviving the HSR project.

If it’s funded by the private sector and not by public funds.

“We’re open to any proposals as long as there are private investments. We’re not stopping [the HSR project],” he clarified.

At the event, Malaysia’s largest annual capital market gathering, he added that the Prime Minister has allowed him to speak on the matter.

He also emphasised that no decision regarding whether the Malaysian government will revive the HSR has been made yet.

Has Yet to Receive Any Proposals

Regarding the proposals, Mr Loke added that the government has not received any proposals regarding the project as of now.

“A lot of parties are talking about the project[,] but we haven’t received any complete proposal,” he mentioned.

Government Has No Timeline for Reviving the Project

Apart from that, Mr Loke also revealed that the government has yet to implement a timeline regarding what the revival of the HSR will be like.

According to him, it is because the agreement between Malaysia and Singapore was terminated by the previous administration, which Muhyiddin Yassin led.

Mr Lok then said that there is “no urgency in terms of reaching any milestone” for now.

Additionally, he mentioned that the government is receptive to new ways of funding and implementing the HSR project.

More About the HSR Timeline So Far

Before this announcement, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the Malaysian Prime Minister back then, brought up the possibility of starting discussions regarding the HSR again at the end of 2021.

He also expressed his wish to see the HSR revived as soon as possible last August and added some possible changes, such as an edited route and an extension to Thailand and China.

As for Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong indicated back then that Singapore would be open to receiving new HSR proposals from Malaysia.

On the other hand, current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim criticised the government for cancelling the HSR project when he was the leader of the opposition in January 2021.

He explained that the project would have both short-term and long-term benefits for Malaysia’s economy and that cancelling it was a mistake.

It would also increase the rate of tourism, businesses and foreign direct investment.

However, Mr Anwar’s current government has yet to confirm if it will revive the HSR project.

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Most recently, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan clarified that there were talks about increasing the connectivity between Malaysia and Singapore when he visited Malaysia in January this year.

However, he said that nothing about the HSR was discussed during his four-day visit there.

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Lin Jiawen
Email: [email protected]