THE government has reiterated that the funding for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project must come from the private sector and will not involve any funding from Putrajaya.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said this was the principle that the Cabinet has established, although there was still work to be done to examine the financial implications of the project.
“One of the key points we have already decided on is that the project will not involve any government funding and must be financed by the private sector,” he said during the minister’s question time at the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (March 14).
“This is the principle we have established. However, we need to examine the financial implications and how far can it be implemented.”
According to Loke, this was among the key points decided for the project following a preliminary report provided to his ministry by MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd (MyHSR).
“The HSR project is currently being evaluated by MyHSR and they have provided me with the preliminary report. However, the ministry has yet to assess the report,” he remarked.
Loke said this in response to a supplementary question from Jerantut MP Khairil Nizam Khirudin who enquired about the status of HSR following the completion of the Request for Information (RFI) concept proposal in January.
At the same time, Loke added that the report will also be brought to the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Cabinet for approval once it is assessed by the ministry.
“Following this, we will review the report and choose the best proposal that can minimize financial implications for the government,” he added.
In January this year, Berita Harian reported that MyHSR Corp had received interest from 37 transport-related firms globally.
MyHSR Corp chairman Datuk Seri Haji Fauzi Abdul Rahman was quoted as saying that the firms sending the RFIs included several major transport firms from China and Europe.
MyHSR launched the RFI in July 2023 as the Malaysian government explores reactivating the project to construct a 350-km dedicated high-speed line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, which was cancelled in 2021, under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The government is expected to shortlist candidates within several months and start full-fledged negotiations with the Singaporean government at the earliest later this year.
It was also reported that the rail project, which would allow a shorter travel time of 90 minutes between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, will include seven stations in Malaysia.
The seven stations are Bandar Malaysia, Sepang-Putrajaya, Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri in Malaysia, as well as Jurong East in Singapore. – March 14, 2024
Main pic credit: The Merdeka Times
