1st LD: Malaysia, Singapore ink MoU on high-speed rail

Malaysia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) Tuesday on the long-anticipated high-speed rail linking the two countries.

The signing was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, a significant milestone since the project was first announced in 2013.

"The signing of MoU signifies Malaysia and Singapore's firmest commitment to this iconic project," said Najib during a joint press conference with Lee.

The MoU captures key points of agreement between the two countries on the project such as the details on technical parameter, commercial model as well as custom, immigration, quarantine (CIQ) clearance, safety and security matters, regulatory framework and project management, he said.

The two governments are committed to sign a bilateral agreement that will contain details relating to the project by the end of this year, targeting the commencement of operations by 2026, he added.

For his part, Lee said one or two issues and some details still need to be worked out, "but the main picture is there."

He urged the two countries to work closely together on the many joint decisions and many difficult implementation issues that may arise.

A joint project team would be set up by Malaysia's high-speed rail corporation and Land Transport Authority of Singapore to jointly implement and address integration project, among others. Following the signing of bilateral agreement, it will work on the preparation of a tender for the project, which is expected to be issued next year.

The high-speed rail is expected to enhance people-to-people ties and improve business linkages between the two countries, and both prime ministers said it would change the lifestyles of the people of the two countries.

The proposed high-speed rail is expected to cut the traveling time between the Malaysian capital and the city state to 90 minutes.

Railway companies from China, Japan and Europe have long expressed interests in this project. Singaporean and Malaysian transport authorities said the joint project team will call an international tender in August to appoint a joint development partner to provide technical support. Endit