Korean consortium among parties interested in HSR

SINGAPORE — A Korean mega consortium, comprising 50 public and private enterprises, is among the parties that have registered their interest to participate in the joint market-sensing exercise for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project.  

Responding to TODAY’s queries, a spokesperson from South Korea’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said the Korea Rail Network Authority (KR) has applied to take part in the Request for Information (RFI) exercise, on behalf of the Korean consortium.

Parties were encouraged to register their interest by today (Oct 16). TODAY reported that as of noon yesterday, about 70 parties, based in Singapore, Malaysia and overseas, had already done so. Those found to be eligible will then submit their responses to the RFI documents by 12pm on Nov 18.

The Korean consortium consists of seven big construction companies as construction investors, five railway system suppliers, 29 railway design engineers and two financial institutions as financial investors.

Some of the public enterprises in the consortium include KR, Korail, Korea Land and Housing Corporation, Korea Railroad Research Institute and Korea Transport Institute. There are also plans to include more companies in the consortium “as soon as possible”.

Commenting on its HSR, the spokesperson said South Korea has developed the world’s fourth-fastest high-speed train and launched the Honam Korea Train Express (KTX) in April this year through its own technology. “Furthermore, not a single casualty has been caused by rail accidents during the 11-year history of Korea’s HSR,” said the spokesperson.

The RFI exercise was launched by Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission and LTA to gauge market sentiment on the project as well as gather industry opinions on its commercial and technical aspects.

When contacted today for an update, the LTA said it would give one at a later date.

The HSR link aims to cut the travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes, with terminus stations in Kuala Lumpur’s Bandar Malaysia and in Singapore’s Jurong East.

The spokesperson from MOLIT said the length of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR is “very similar” to Korea’s first HSR, the Gyeongbu HSR, which travels from Seoul to Busan.

“In this regard, I believe that the Korean consortium can provide the most efficient and optimal business model for the Malaysia-Singapore HSR project,” added the spokesperson.