Sin Chew Daily

Prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad confirmed that the KL-Singapore high speed rail project, which has been put on hold until after May 31 next year, would go ahead albeit at a reduced scale in a bid to cut cost.

After the PM confirmed that one of the HSR stations would be in the reinstated Bandar Malaysia project, it means the KL-Singapore HSR project is put back on the right track.

The project was a benchmark development item of the previous BN administration. However, after Pakatan Harapan came to power last year, the project was shelved owing to excessively high construction cost.

When asked by the media on a number of occasions, Mahathir even said Malaysia did not need any high speed train at this moment.

It remains controversial whether the HSR project will be a white elephant or one that will really benefit the people and economy of both Malaysia and Singapore.

Having said that, the KL-Singapore HSR project does have its value and will significantly relieve the perennial traffic congestion on the Johor Causeway as well as the Second Link, offering a convenient alternative to flight. This is poised to promote commercial activities and social visits among the people of both countries.

From what we understand, the Malaysian government has not done nothing over the period when the HSR project was on hold. Instead, it was contemplating how to maximise the project’s spin-off effects on the national economy.

According to a Singapore media report last month, the Malaysian government had adopted a new development blueprint to construct an economic corridor from Bandar Malaysia along the HSR route all the way to Iskandar Malaysia in Johor. Once the blueprint gets the nod of the Economic Action Council (EAC), the project could be revived earlier than anticipated.

Once approved, the economic corridor will connect the existing development centres such as KLIA Aeropolis, the Vision Valley in Negeri Sembilan, and Iskandar Malaysia in Johor, along with the many towns on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

However, the government is still looking into ways of reducing the cost, and land acquisition and station construction cost have been identified as key factors that will lower the overall cost.

Now that the government has confirmed to go ahead with the KL-Singapore HSR project, and with the deferment deadline arriving very soon, it is imperative for the relevant government departments to finalise the details in order to negotiate with their Singapore counterparts with the hope the project can be revived very soon.

Given the tremendous economic value of the HSR project to both Malaysia and Singapore, it is necessary for it to be reinstated as soon as possible. Do bear in mind that the cost of construction materials will keep rising, and if we allow the project to be delayed further, we may not be able to effectively slash the construction cost.