Singapore-KL high-speed rail agreement will be inked on Dec 13

SINGAPORE — The bilateral agreement for the High-Speed Rail (HSR) linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore will be inked on Tuesday (Dec 13) when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong meets his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak at their leaders’ retreat in Putrajaya.

The agreement, which follows a memorandum of understanding for the project signed in July, will be signed by Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, and Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department, Mr Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Lee’s office said the agreement is a culmination of intensive discussions since the 2013 leaders’ retreat. It demonstrates the two governments’ commitment to the project and will enhance economic and people-to-people ties when completed, the statement added.

The 350km rail project, aimed to be completed and running in 2026, will cut the travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes, with the high-speed train travelling at speeds of over 300kmh, from about four hours by car currently.

Bandar Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and Jurong East in Singapore will be the terminus stations, with six transit stations along the route, including Putrajaya, Seremban (Negeri Sembilan), Ayer Keroh (Malacca), Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri in Johor.

The transit stations will be part of a domestic rail service, on top of the express service. A shuttle service will also run between Singapore and Iskandar Puteri.

The agreement was to be signed earlier this month but Mr Najib said Mr Lee had asked for more time to brief President Tony Tan Keng Yam on a guarantee related to the project.

Besides Mr Khaw, other ministers and office-holders who will accompany Mr Lee include Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, and Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong.

This is the seventh Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat, an annual affair for both Prime Ministers to foster closer bilateral relations.