Request for information launched on Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High-Speed Rail project

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) jointly launched a request for information (RFI) exercise yesterday to gauge market interest and industry opinion on commercial as well as technical aspects of the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.

In a statement yesterday, the Spad said both governments had been working to develop this strategic cross-border project further.

“The RFI, which marks the next phase of the project, is designed as a consultation exercise to gauge market interest in the project and gather industry opinion on selected commercial and technical aspects of the project,” the statement read.

“The feedback received will inform the ongoing bilateral discussions and formal tender process subsequently,” it added.

The RFI exercise is expected to conclude by the end of this year.

In a joint statement, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar and Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Khaw Boon Wan said it is imperative that the governments are “properly informed” of industry views.

“We want to use this exercise to gauge market interest in the project, and solicit views on different models and approaches,” the statement read.

“The feedback is crucial in helping us refine and validate our options, which will in turn help ensure a successful tender process subsequently.”

Interested parties can visit the Spad’s website (www.spad.gov.my/hsr) or the LTA’s website (www.lta.gov.sg/hsr) for more information.

The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR link was first announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat in February 2013.

With terminus stations in Kuala Lumpur’s Bandar Malaysia and Singapore’s Jurong East, the HSR link aims to cut travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes. The Spad reportedly said Malaysia plans to dish out work packages for the 330km rail project by 2017 at the earliest, with completion set for 2022.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on Oct 8, 2015.