Johor still wants a high speed rail service, even if it does not link to Singapore

JOHOR BARU: The Johor government is hopeful that the High Speed Rail (HSR) project will continue – even if it does not link to Singapore.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad (pic) said that a HSR project could still bring huge benefits to the country.

He added that Johor would be the main beneficiary as the majority of the HSR project development would be in the state.

He said even though Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had announced that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR was a no-go for now, Johor Umno was hopeful that it could resume in the future.

"At the same time, we also are not ruling out the possibility of Singapore's involvement in the new project in terms of investment," Hasni said at a press conference held at the Johor Umno office here on Saturday (Jan 2).

In a statement after the HSR termination was announced on Friday (Jan 1), Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the government would undertake a detailed study to explore all possible options, including the viability of a domestic HSR project and its benefits to Malaysians.

"Malaysia and Singapore enjoy very close bilateral ties. We will continue to strengthen these ties, including further enhancing connectivity between our two countries for mutual benefit," said Mustapa.

Hasni said that even though the new HSR route did not involve a station in the island republic, the project would still benefit Malaysians.

He also urged the Federal government to involve Johor to study any new HSR project, including identifying new locations for the stations.

On Friday, Muhyiddin and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a joint press statement, said the Malaysian government had proposed several changes to the HSR project in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its economy.

"Both governments had conducted several discussions with regard to these changes and had not been able to reach an agreement. Therefore, the HSR Agreement had lapsed on Dec 31,2020.

"Both countries will abide by their respective obligations, and will now proceed with the necessary actions, resulting from this termination of the HSR Agreement.

"Both countries remain committed to maintain good bilateral relations and cooperate closely in various fields, including strengthening the connectivity between the two countries," read the statement.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the government will undertake a detailed study to explore all possible options, including the viability of a domestic HSR project and its benefits to Malaysians.

"Malaysia and Singapore enjoy very close bilateral ties. We will continue to strengthen these ties, including further enhancing connectivity between our two countries for mutual benefit," said Mustapa.

In December 2016, both countries signed an agreement to carry out the HSR project.

In September 2018, both governments agreed to suspend construction of the project until May 31 this year to find the best way forward.

In May, both governments agreed to extend the deferment of the HSR to Dec 31.

The Malaysian government had been reviewing the project with MyHSR Corp to identify cost reduction options, such as station locations and business models.

The HSR was targeted to be up and running by 2026 and was expected to cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to just 90 minutes.

The HSR line would have been 350km long, 335km in Malaysia and 15km in Singapore.