S’pore Clarifies They Are In Talks With M’sia Over High-Speed Rail After Reports Claim Project Will End In Johor

Malaysian Media Claims High-Speed Rail To End In Johor Instead, Final Decision Out On 31 Dec

Those who regularly travel between Singapore and Malaysia have probably been eagerly awaiting the fruition of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.

But, since the project was agreed upon back in 2016, it has been quite a ride. It was always unclear if things will proceed as planned.

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Recently, Malaysian news outlet The Malaysian Insight reported that the country is intending to go ahead with the project without Singapore.

In response, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) clarified that Singapore is still in discussions with Malaysia, and the latter has until 31 Dec to make a final decision.

The Malaysian Insight claims high-speed rail will exclude Singapore

Upon Malaysia’s request, the HSR project has been twice suspended. The latest extension from May till 31 Dec was partly due to Malaysia’s need to propose changes.

Since late November, Malaysian news sources have said plans are afoot for the project to go ahead without Singapore’s involvement.

As the deadline looms, news of such a proposal surfaced again on Sunday (13 Dec). The Malaysian Insight (TMI) quoted a source saying that the rail will end in Johor instead of Singapore.

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It also stated that Malaysia will pay a RM300 million in compensation to Singapore.

This is about S$104.67 million, less than half of the S$250 million that Singapore seeks as cited by Free Malaysia Today.

TMI reported that the Malaysian Cabinet had made the decision not to work with Singapore on Friday (11 Dec).

To complete the HSR project on their own, it would cost Malaysia around RM65 billion (S$21.4 billion), excluding the cost of trains.

It was also reported that Malaysia had previously proposed that a HSR station be built at Kuala Lumpur International Airport but this was rejected by Singapore.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport declined to comment about the issue.

MOT says both countries still in talks

In response to the news, Singapore MOT clarified that both countries are still in talks over the HSR project.

They have until 31 Dec to make a final decision on its status, reported The Straits Times (ST).

MOT referenced the joint statement made by the Prime Ministers of both countries that further details will be announced in due course.

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Final project suspension until 31 Dec

The plans for the Singapore-Malaysia HSR project were first announced back in 2010. It was highly anticipated to cut travel time between KL and Singapore down to 90 minutes.

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In 2016, a bilateral agreement was signed between the 2 countries.

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According to ST, the project was targeted to complete by end 2026. This was later extended to 2029.

Talks on the HSR were fractured back in 2018 when the project received pushback from then Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Instead of a cancellation, the Pakatan Harapan administration then requested to delay the commencement of construction. Under the HSR agreement, a cancellation would have entailed a high amount of compensation.

At Malaysia’s request, this first suspension spanned from 2018 to May 2020. In May, it was suspended for what was agreed to be the final time, until 31 Dec.

Tumultuous journey will conclude on 31 Dec

It looks like our dreams of a fast and convenient route to Malaysia might be in jeopardy.

Nonetheless, come 31 Dec, we will know for sure if the HSR will become a reality for Singaporeans as well.

And hopefully, after many years of ups and downs, this tumultuous journey will finally come to a conclusion.

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Featured image adapted from Land Transport Authority.