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Original timeline for Singapore-Malaysia High Speed Rail not realistic: Singapore PM

Xinhua, May 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

The original timeline for Singapore- Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail is "not really realistic" given the scale and complexity of the project, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday at the joint press conference after Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Treat with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.

Lee announced that the terminus in Singapore for the Singapore- Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail will be located at Jurong East, which dovetails with the country's overall plans to transform the area into a second Central Business District.

The two leaders noted that the initial target of 2020 may need to be re-assessed given the scale and complexity of the project, but they reaffirmed that both countries are fully committed to the success of the project.

PM Lee said the high speed railway project is an ambitious one, and it is challenging to carry out the project. He said, "We have to take a bit more time to do it well, but to do it without delay. "

Malaysian PM Najib believed that the high-speed rail project is of great significance. He said that they will decide bilateral issues with the railway project by the end of the year. Once the structure and management of the project, business model, and government participation are settled down, they will then announce a new deadline for this project.

"Hopefully by the end of the year, we will be in the position," Najib said.

The High Speed Rail project between Singapore and Malaysia was agreed upon in 2013, which aims to cut down on travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to just 90 minutes. The high speed railway is regarded as a "game-changing iconic project", which will boost connectivity, enhance business linkages, and improve people-to-peple ties. Endi