SINGAPORE has yet to agree to defer the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project, the Straits Times reports.

The Transport Ministry is quoted in the report contradicting news that the city-state has acceded to Malaysia’s request to postpone the project.
 
“The HSR bilateral agreement remains in force, unless Singapore and Malaysia mutually agree to vary it,” the ministry is reported to have said.

The Straits Times had yesterday reported that Singaporean Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan had conveyed to Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali in a meeting on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur the republic’s agreement to defer building the HSR.

Quoting a source, it said officials of the two countries were to negotiate the terms of the deferment, including its length and duration.

Citing a RM1 trillion national debt as the reason, the new Malaysian government in April announced that the 350km rail linking the two countries was cancelled, then later amended it to deferred. Singapore had indicated it was not amenable to the change of plan as proposed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had also called for another joint project, the Johor-Singapore rapid transit system, to be cancelled, and proposed to raise the price of water sold to Singapore.

Azmin had said he was optimistic of a “win-win resolution soon” on the HSR deal, following his second meeting with officials from across the Causeway

The high-speed rail is to offer a travel time of 90 minutes between KL and Singapore, compared to more than four hours by car. – August 25, 2018.