DOUBLE-TALKING AGAIN, NAJIB? Singapore surprised by Malaysia’s comments on placing high speed rail terminus in JB

SINGAPORE - Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) today took issue with recent comments made separately by two Malaysian officials on the design of the crossing for the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System link, and Malaysia’s preference to terminate the High Speed Rail (HSR) in Johor Baru, instead of Jurong East which the Republic had chosen as the site for the terminal station.

Responding to media queries, an MOT spokesperson pointed out that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had informed his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, of Singapore’s decision on the location of the terminus at last month’s Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat.

The location was also announced at a joint press conference by the two Prime Ministers following the event.

“We are therefore surprised by the Land Public Transport Commission’s (SPAD) recent statement that Malaysia preferred to terminate the HSR at the existing CIQ (customs, immigration and quarantine) complex in Johor Baru,” said the MOT spokesperson.

In an interview with The Edge Malaysia published on Monday, Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Mohd Kamal said that there were “many issues” that the commission was ironing out with Singapore but that was “to be expected of a project so large”.

One of the issues, he said, was that Malaysia would have preferred to end the HSR line at its CIQ complex so that “the entire project will be within our borders and we will have more control of it”.

Nur Ismal was quoted as saying that Johor Baru “will be closer to Orchard Road than Jurong East”. “But of course, we have to weigh Singapore’s economic and commercial considerations as well to come to an agreement,” he added.

The MOT spokesperson said the Singapore Government’s “understanding is that Malaysia views the commercial premise of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project, and with which we agree, as being based on a direct connection between the two city centres”.

She added: “Terminating the HSR in Johor Baru will not achieve this objective.”

CEO was ‘misquoted’: M’sia agency

Tonight, hours after the media reported the MOT’s response, SPAD issued a statement to claim that Nur Ismal was “regrettably misquoted”.

SPAD said it would have preferred for the HSR to terminate in Singapore’s Central Business District that will be nearer to Orchard Road than Jurong East. However, it is a joint project to benefit both countries and there “has to be give and take”.

It added that it recognised that terminating the HSR at Malaysia’s CIQ complex “would not have been optimal”.

During the interview, Nur Ismal was also asked if Singapore was willing to bear the cost of the six transit stations in Malaysia between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. In response, he said the cost of these stations is “much less than 10 per cent” of the cost of the entire project.

He added: “Because the additional stations will benefit Malaysia more, Singapore is not so keen on the transit line. However, just as we must take its economic and commercial considerations into account, it must also take care of us. There has to be give and take so that both parties can benefit.”

The MOT spokesperson said both countries are in discussion on the project’s commercial and operating models. Singapore has proposed that the domestic transit HSR services – which will ply the six stations between KL and Singapore, and primarily serve commuters travelling within Malaysia – be operated separately from the express non-stop HSR services between KL and Singapore, the spokesperson added.

“This will give Malaysia autonomy over the domestic transit services to serve Malaysia’s domestic needs and benefit Malaysia, while both countries work together on the cross-border HSR services,” she said.

Separately, in a report by Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia published on Wednesday, Haji Hasni Haji Mohammad, who chairs the Johor State Exco for Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee, said both Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to build a high bridge next to the Johor Causeway for the RTS, instead of an underground seabed tunnel.

But the MOT spokesperson said that there was no such agreement. “Both countries can only determine the type and alignment of the crossing after both terminus locations have been confirmed,” the spokesperson said.

“Singapore informed Malaysia in June 2011 that the terminus in Singapore would be located at the Woodlands North station of the Thomson-East Coast Line.

However, we have yet to receive official confirmation of the location of Malaysia’s RTS terminus in Johor Baru.” - Malay Mail