Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail

History

A high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was proposed in the late 1990s, but due to high costs the proposal was shelved. In 2006 YTL Corporation, operator of the Express Rail Link in Kuala Lumpur, revived the proposal, with a projected speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). This was expected to trim travel time between the two cities to 99 minutes, compared with 4–5 hours by road, 7 hours by conventional rail services, or 3 hours by air (including travel to and from the airports, check-in, boarding and other airport procedures). In 2008 the Malaysian government halted the project citing high-costs of over RM8 billion.

The proposal was highlighted in 2010 as a high-impact project, out of the 131 entry-point projects, in the Malaysian government's Economic Transformation Programme Roadmap in a bid to increase economic activities concurrently greater economic synergies. Studies into the feasibility and conceptual details of the proposal were to be carried out in December 2010 and January 2011.

It was believed that the Malaysian government was going to sign a high-speed rail deal with China upon the visit of President Hu Jintao of China to Kuala Lumpur in June 2011.

The Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore agreed to go ahead with the project at a meeting on 19 February 2013. A committee was tasked with looking into 'the details and modalities' of the project.

Singapore and Malaysia have announced that the high speed rail proposal will be finalised by end of 2014 with a targeted completion date at 2020.

The proposal for Singapore's link will have to be considered by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Budget 2014. According to the Leaders' Retreat which was held on 7 April 2014, a possible location for the high-speed rail will be Tuas West, Jurong East or the Downtown Core. On 6 February 2015, the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) released in a press statement stating that Singapore had announced Jurong East as a location for the high-speed rail terminus. However, the terminus would not be connected to the MRT station that serves Jurong East.

Japan and South Korea both have indicated their interests in the project.

Similarly, during a state visit by the president of Singapore to France, Singapore's Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew told the press that French firms are keen to participate in the project.

The LTA and SPAD jointly announced the launch of a "market sensing exercise" on the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project on 7 October 2015.

Singapore and Malaysia would signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 19 July 2016 at the signing ceremony would be held at Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's official residence in Putrajaya, witnessed by his Singapore counterpart, Mr Lee Hsien Loong. It was signed by Singapore Transport Minister and Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Khaw Boon Wan along with Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

The legally-binding bilateral agreement was signed by Singapore's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan, and Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan, witnessed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his counterpart Najib Razak at their annual Leader's Retreat at Putrajaya, Malaysia on 13 December 2016. There were also details including a 25m-high bridge link near the Malaysia–Singapore Second Link and 3 services to be operated by 2 operators. At the same meeting, the leaders agreed on technical details for the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) link, which will connect the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line (TEL) to Johor Baru via another high bridge near the Johor–Singapore Causeway. The link will use the same rail systems and trains as TEL.

The government of Singapore has made the second large acquisition of land for the project by requiring Raffles Country Club to vacate its plot as the site offers the "most suitable location" to run the HSR tracks after the bridge crossing and to place the tunnel portal leading to the underground tunnels that would take the HSR to the Jurong East terminus. The site has to be vacated by July 31, 2018 to be used for HSR crossover tracks and a siding facility to temporarily house a train near the border for safety or operational reasons. The site may also be used for train testing facilities.

On 8 February 2017, LTA appointed engineering design firm AECOM Singapore to conduct an advanced engineering study for Singapore stretch of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail (HSR) infrastructure.

On 16 February 2017, LTA and MyHSR awarded the HSR joint development partner (JDP) contract to a consortium comprising WSP Engineering Malaysia, Mott MacDonald Malaysia and Ernst & Young Advisory Services. They will provide HSR project management support, technical advice on systems and operations, develop safety standards and help prepare tender documents for the joint project team of LTA and MyHSR.

Plan details

The railway will be about 350 km and the travel time will be 90 minutes. The construction cost will be MYR 43 billion. The project will require the construction of a brand-new line with dedicated tracks, which will allow trains to travel at least 270 km/h. MYHSR Corp will co-ordinate the project for the essential construction within the Malaysia corridor, whereas LTA will be in charge for Singapore corridor.

Project timeline

Stations

Malaysia's Land Public Transport Commission chairman, Syed Hamid Albar, announced the stops in Malaysia on 22 October 2014.

The Singapore government has chosen Jurong East to be the terminal for this railway in Singapore on 5 May 2015. Jurong Country Club, which occupies the site currently, is expected to handover the land by November 2016.