MALAYSIA is waiting for some “promising and positive” contributions by the private sector as it seeks to revive the terminated high-speed rail (HSR) project linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Jan 7).
He added that his government is already looking at some proposals, although he did not give any details.
“We have decided (the HSR) will only happen if we have full participation from the private sector with minimal government involvement,” said Anwar at a press conference alongside Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Putrajaya.
It was reported in September last year that Malaysia’s king was planning to seek funding from Chinese investors for the HSR. Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said last July that his government’s policy was to have the project led by a consortium that is at least 51 per cent Malaysian owned.
On Tuesday, Anwar said that discussions on major projects such as the HSR had to be deferred mainly because of the Malaysia government’s commitment to settle various outstanding issues such as basic infrastructure, education and health.
“(The) government has its limitations with the issues of quality regulation, flood mitigation, basic infrastructure, education, public health priorities – at least for the next one or two years,” said Anwar.
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PM Wong maintained Singapore’s position that it is open to listening to new proposals from Malaysia about the HSR, so that both sides can start “from a clean slate”.
He said that it was “unfortunate” that the two South-east Asian neighbours were unable to proceed with the HSR project originally.
“And so that’s our position because, from our point of view, greater connectivity between our two countries is always a plus,” he said.
In 2021, Singapore and Malaysia scrapped the plan to build the 350 km HSR after both sides failed to agree on several proposed changes by Malaysia.
The project was estimated at the time to cost around US$17 billion, and aimed to cut the travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to just 90 minutes, from more than four hours by car.
Companies from China, Japan, South Korea and Europe had then expressed interest in contracts to build, operate and finance the trains and rail assets.
