Singapore, Malaysia ‘still in discussion over alignment, operating model of high-speed rail’

(The Straits Times) – Singapore and Malaysia are still in discussion over the commercial and operating models of the high-speed rail (HSR), the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said on Monday, in response to a Malaysian news report claiming that several aspects of the joint project had been decided.

The ministry spokesman said the possibility of having two services for the HSR linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur – one a non-stop express service, and the other a transit service calling at stations in between – was still being discussed.

This was contrary to a report published earlier on Monday, in Malaysia’s The Edge Financial Daily, which said that the two governments have “come to a consensus” on the alignment of the HSR and have decided to have the two different services.

The MOT spokesman said: “The alignment is also under discussion; the exact alignment can be finalised only after completion of detailed engineering studies.”

Giving an update on the project, the ministry said that both countries are studying the feedback gathered from a request-for-information exercise that concluded in December.

This feedback will be used to “to improve the project’s commercial and operating models and procurement approach”, the spokesman added.

The Singapore-KL HSR, which was first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2013, will allow commuters to travel from Singapore to KL, or vice versa, in about 90 minutes.

The Singapore terminus of the link will be located in Jurong East, while Malaysia has said its terminal station will be in Bandar Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, with the following stops in between: Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat, and Nusajaya.