Talks on new terms for HSR later this year, says Wee

 

Initial talks are to be held later this year on reviving the high-speed rail project under new terms, says transport minister Wee Ka Siong. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Initial discussions are to be held with the Singapore government in the middle of the year about reviving the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail project on new terms, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

The discussion on a possible revival of the project was still in the early stages, said transport minister Wee Ka Siong, Bernama reported. He said the ministry had been tasked with holding discussions on the project under new terms.

The ministry is also exploring possibilities of conducting a feasibility study on a high-speed railway from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok.

On other transport projects, he said:

• Land acquisition for the Johor Bahru-Singapore rapid transit system (RTS) had been completed, infrastructure design finalised and earthworks, utility diversion as well as piling works were under way. The project was at 10% progress.
• The Gemas-Johor Bahru electrified double-tracking project had been delayed because of Covid-19 and was currently at 82.5% progress. The ministry was preparing the final design review for completion by the end of March.
• Procurement of the ETS trainset is expected to be completed in September 2024.

The RTS link is a 4km-long light railway connecting Woodlands North in Singapore with Bukit Chagar terminal in Johor Bahru. It will have the capacity to serve a total of 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction. - FMT