THE Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project will not be affected despite Japanese firms withdrawing from their involvement in the construction of the project, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.

He said the Japanese companies are free to decide whether to participate in the project or not, as it is still at the request for information (RFI) stage.

“If Japanese companies are not interested in entering the tender, it is up to them. We conduct the RFI openly. Why should we (Malaysia) feel pressured?

“Perhaps they (the Japanese companies) feel it does not align with the model we want to implement, so it’s up to them. Many other parties, hundreds of companies, have expressed interest,” he told a press conference at the Batu Caves KTM station today.

Loke said the RFI process will conclude on Monday, and the decisions of companies expressing interest in the HSR will be known thereafter, before moving on to the request for proposal (RFP) stage.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government would evaluate the impact of the withdrawal of Japanese firms from the HSR project.

It followed a report from the Japanese news agency, Kyodo News, quoting sources that the decision of the Japanese companies to withdraw was due to the project becoming too risky without the financial support of the Malaysian government. – Bernama, January 13, 2024.