HSR public inspection to start off without Forest City stop on Nov 1

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30): Public inspection on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project starting Nov 1 will focus on the existing alignment featuring seven local stations, without the proposed station at the Forest City property development in Johor.

MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd project delivery group director Mark Loader said the Public Land Transport Commission (SPAD) is still reviewing the application made by the multi-billion Forest City project’s developers, namely Hong Kong-listed Country Garden Holdings Ltd, the Johor state government and the Sultan of Johor.

However, if the Forest City station review is approved, MyHSR would convene a second public inspection for the changes in that area to show the plots of land that would be affected by the new alignment.

In the meantime, Loader said the three-month public inspection till Jan 31, 2018, would showcase the seven locations as agreed in the bilateral agreement between Malaysia and Singapore last December.

“Our mandate is develop the alignment with the seven stations. So, our plan is to keep the alignment within the affected plots that might be acquired for the project,” he said in a closed-door media briefing on the project.

In line with this, local communities are urged to attend the public inspection which will serve as an avenue for them to view information regarding the technical, social and environmental aspects of the project, while sharing their views and feedback on the project.

"Although conducting a public inspection is a mandatory process under Section 84 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 by having a booth at Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) headquarters, we want to take this a notch higher by opening up public inspection booths at 43 venues with high footfalls including shopping malls and local councils in cities along the HSR alignment," said Loader.

He added that this will be the largest public inspection held in Malaysia.

Among some of the key locations for the permanent booths which will be present for the three months are the SPAD offices in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Johor and selected local council offices.

Meanwhile, mobile booths will be placed at selected locations over varying periods during the three-month public inspection. It will include Nu Sentral mall, National Library, Mitsui Outlet Park, Mahkota Parade and Mall of Medini.

The public is advised to check on the schedule of when the booths will be at their designated locations via the MyHSR website.

Among some of the information that will be displayed at the booths include HSR project information, project benefits, the overall alignment map, the land acquisition plan as well as a TV display with a 360 degree aerial view with interactive hawkeye programme of the stations. There will also be officers located at the booths to obtain feedback from the public.

"The feedback [from the public] will then be compiled so that we can study their opinions before we finalise the plan. We will take about three months to compile the reports, depending on the amount of public feedback we get," Loader added.