Under The Angsana Tree: S'pore-KL High Speed Rail Deferred

Update 4 Jan 2021: Project terminated after agreement lapses, both countries to proceed with 'necessary actions'

The concept design for Malacca station along the KL-Singapore HSR. (Photo: MyHSR)

The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project will be discontinued after the HSR agreement lapsed on Dec 31, 2020, the Prime Ministers of both countries said in a joint statement on Friday morning (Jan 1). Both Singapore and Malaysia will now proceed with the "necessary actions".

In the statement, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said: "The Government of Malaysia and the Government of Singapore wish to provide an update on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR Project in view of the expiry of the suspension period of the HSR Project on Dec 31, 2020.

"In light of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Malaysian economy, the Government of Malaysia had proposed several changes to the HSR Project. Both Governments had conducted several discussions with regard to these changes and had not been able to reach an agreement. Therefore, the HSR Agreement had lapsed on Dec 31, 2020," the leaders said.

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Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Bullet Train Link Delayed by Four Years

A bullet train linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur won’t be a reality for at least a decade as Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad seeks to pare his nation’s debt and review projects signed off by his predecessor Najib Razak.

The neighbors agreed to delay kicking off work on the 350-kilometer (218 miles), multibillion dollar link until the end of May 2020, while the first train isn’t likely to ply the route before January 2031, four years later than originally envisioned, according to a joint statement the two governments issued on Wednesday in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Faced with liabilities of more than 1 trillion ringgit ($241 billion), Malaysia has been seeking ways to cut costs and has been pushing to postpone the project aimed at trimming the land journey time between the two cities to 90 minutes, from as long as five hours now. The ongoing international tender will be scrapped in a setback for potential bidders, including those from China and Japan that were keen to gain a slice of the orders.

As compensation for the delay, Malaysia will pay Singapore S$15 million ($11 million) before the end of January 2019, Malaysia’s Minister of Economic Affairs Azmin Ali said. Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the two countries still remain committed to the project.

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Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed rail project officially postponed

An agreement to delay construction of the planned 350 km Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed rail line by up to five years was signed by representatives of the governments of Malaysia and Singapore on September 5.

The project is one of several approved by the previous Malaysian government which the new administration put under review following the general election in May. In a joint statement, the two governments said they were ‘committed’ to the high speed line project. However, ‘at Malaysia’s request and in the spirit of bilateral co-operation’ Singapore had agreed to suspend construction ‘for a period up to’ May 31 2020. Malaysia will bear the costs of suspending the project, reported to be around S$15m.

The proposed completion date has been put back from December 31 2026 to January 1 2031.

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Azmin: HSR construction off until May 2020

Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to suspend the construction of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) until May 2020 and will reimburse the republic S$15mil (RM45.1mil), says Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

The Economic Affairs Minister said the amount is to be paid by January 2019, as stated in an agreement to amend the HSR bilateral agreement. The terms were drawn out based on a new understanding between the new Pakatan Harapan administration and Singapore.

In the event that the project does not proceed after the end of the suspension date, Malaysia will have to reimburse Singapore costs incurred in fulfilling the HSR agreement.

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KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail formally postponed; service targeted to start by Jan 2031

The signing of the agreement on postponing the KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail project. (Photo: MCI)

Singapore & Malaysia have formally agreed to postpone the construction of the KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail until end-May 2020, with Malaysia having to pay Singapore S$15 million for costs incurred in suspending the project.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday (Sep 5), both countries said the HSR express service is now expected to start by Jan 1, 2031, instead of the original commencement date of Dec 31, 2026.

The new agreement was signed by Malaysia's Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali and Singapore's Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya on Wednesday afternoon.

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KL-Singapore HSR project officially deferred to May 2020

Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Malaysia’s Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali signing an agreement to defer the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project on Wednesday (Sep 5)

After months of uncertainty, the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project has been formally postponed for nearly 2 years, with Malaysia to pay abortive costs of S$15 million to Singapore by January next year.

Malaysia will have until May 31, 2020 to proceed with construction works, as per an agreement signed in Putrajaya on Wed (Sept 5) by Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore's Transport Minister & Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, and Malaysia's Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali.

If the project goes ahead, the rail services between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are expected to start by Jan 1 in 2031, four years later than the original scheduled date of Dec 31, 2026. Responding to media queries, Singapore's Ministry of Transport (MOT) said that the 4-year delay would be due to the additional time required by both countries to implement the project after it resumes, "including the calling of fresh tenders and carrying out additional technical works”.

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KL-S'pore HSR postponed: A boost for bilateral ties, but not all is ‘win-win’

A view of the construction site of the Jurong East terminus in Singapore for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail

Experts & observers who spoke to TODAY unanimously agreed that the pact to defer the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project was a good outcome for bilateral relations, but they were divided on whether the postponement was a "win-win" for both countries, as Malaysian economic affairs minister Azmin Ali put it.

Dr Terence Fan, transport analyst from the Singapore Management University, said that both parties came out "stronger", especially in terms of bilateral ties, after Wednesday's agreement. "I think Singapore would be a little bit too cold-hearted if it does not make any allowances to help Malaysia."

By agreeing to a deferment, "Singapore is keeping Malaysia as a party still committed in developing the rail project, so I think it's a big win for both sides", he added.

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Malaysia to pay Singapore RM45 million to defer HSR

The agreement to defer the project was signed by Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali and Singapore's Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in Putrajaya today.

MALAYSIA will pay S$15 million (RM45 million) as abortive costs to Singapore for deferring the High Speed Rail project until May 2020 said Azmin Ali.

The Economic Affairs Minister said the sum has to be paid by January 2019.

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Malaysia to pay Singapore about S$15m for deferring HSR project

Minister of Economic Affairs Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said Malaysia will be obliged to pay about S$15 million to Singapore by end-January next year as cost to defer the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project.

At a joint press conference with Singapore Minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan today, Azmin said this was the outcome of the discussions by officials from both countries on Aug 27 and 28.

"Both parties have met on Aug 27 and 28 to discuss every details, every single item. And finally both parties agreed that the cost needed to be paid by Malaysian government [amounted] to about S$15 million, and that need to be paid before end of January 2019, so we still have some space," he said.

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NOT CANCELLED: MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE HIGH-SPEED RAIL DELAYED IN MAHATHIR U-TURN

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (centre left) and Malaysia’s then prime minister Najib Razak (centre right) after signing up to the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail link. Photo: EPA

Construction of the high-speed rail link between Malaysia and Singapore will be postponed for two years rather than cancelled, the two governments said on Wednesday.

After weeks of talks, negotiators managed to avoid scrapping the project altogether – the outcome Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had previously said he preferred.

An agreement, signed in Mahathir’s office by Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and the Malaysian Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali, defers the start of construction work on the project to May 31, 2020, by which time Southeast Asia’s third largest economy hopes its poor fiscal position will have improved.

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Timeline of HSR suspension fraught with twists and turns

The concept design for the Iskandar Puteri station in Johor along the planned Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High-Speed Rail line

Singapore and Malaysia signed an agreement on Wednesday (Sept 5) to suspend the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project for a period of two years.

The decision to suspend the construction of the project, some four months after the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government came to power, was made after a period of negotiations and mixed signals in recent months.

Here is a recap of the developments:

Feb 19, 2013 - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his then Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak announced an agreement to build a high-speed rail (HSR) link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore
July 19, 2016 - Singapore and Malaysia signed a seven-point agreement which, among other things, had a roll-out date in 2026 for the HSR service.
May 28, 2018 - Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Putrajaya would drop the HSR project as part of drastic cuts to government spending and investment.

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Singapore not told of HSR status, but it knows what Malaysia wants: Mahathir