Malaysia, Singapore award high-speed rail joint development partner contract

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 16): The Malaysian and Singapore governments have awarded the joint development partner (JDP) contract for the planned Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project to a consortium comprising WSP Engineering Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Mott MacDonald Malaysia Sdn Bhd, and Ernst & Young Advisory Services Sdn Bhd.

Malaysia's MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd and Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a joint statement today the JDP will provide project management support and technical advice on the project's systems and operations. The JDP will also develop technical and safety standards for the project, according to the statement.

MyHSR chief executive officer (CEO) Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal said in the statement: "Following the commitment of the two governments through the bilateral agreement signing, the JDP appointment marks the start of a challenging yet exciting journey to bring the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project to reality."

"The consortium of WSP Engineering, Mott MacDonald and Ernst & Young Advisory Services will join the project teams of MyHSR and LTA in further developing the project. The teams will need to work closely to ensure that the project is delivered successfully. Further announcements will be made in due course, for other appointments of the project," Mohd Nur Ismal said.

LTA CEO Ngien Hoon Ping said the JDP's "collective expertise and extensive experience" in global high-speed rail projects would enable MyHSR and LTA to start preparing joint tenders for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project.

According to the joint statement, the consortium's track record include high-speed rail projects in Taiwan and the US. — theedgemarkets.com

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