LTA forms subsidiary for KL-S’pore HSR project

SINGAPORE — The Land Transport Authority (LTA) yesterday announced the formation of a wholly owned subsidiary, SG HSR, to implement the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.

The subsidiary will be Singapore’s infrastructure company for the HSR project, and will build, own, fund and maintain its civil infrastructure here. This includes the HSR station in Jurong East, the tunnels and a share of the connecting bridge over the Straits of Johor, the LTA said.

SG HSR will work with its Malaysian counterpart, MyHSR Corp, to jointly appoint an assets company and an international operator through a fair and open international tender, it added.

When the HSR services start, SG HSR will also administer the various concessions.

In a Facebook post, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan described the setting up of SG HSR as “another milestone” of the high-speed rail journey.

Nothing that SG HSR will work closely with its Malaysian counterpart to implement the project expeditiously, Mr Khaw added: “Together, we shall realise our shared dream of a 90-minute ride from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in 2026.”

The company will have an initial share capital of S$1 million. LTA’s chairman Alan Chan will concurrently be the chairman of SG HSR’s board of directors. Mr Richard Lim, LTA’s deputy chairman, will concurrently hold the appointment of the subsidiary’s deputy chairman.

Mr Rama Venkta, who was the project director of the HSR group in the LTA, has been appointed SG HSR’s managing director.

Mr Chin Chee Kiat, who held concurrent roles in LTA’s policy and planning group and HSR group, is the deputy managing director.

The 350km, eight-station HSR will cut travelling time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes, compared with a near five-hour drive under normal traffic conditions.