A historic bilateral agreement was signed between Singapore and Malaysia for the construction of the High Speed Rail (HSR) link connecting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
The 350 km rail link is expected to reduce travel time between both destinations to just 90 minutes, compared with the four to five hours needed to travel by road.
The HSR link will comprise of eight stations, seven of which will be in Malaysia. The Singapore station is to be located at Jurong East, in an area currently occupied by Jurong Country Club. The planned stations are Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat, Iskandar Puteri and Jurong East. The project is expected to complete in 2026.
The project will involve the construction of a brand-new line with dedicated tracks that will allow trains to reach a maximum speed in excess of 300km/h. 335km of the track will be set in Malaysia, with the Singapore stretch spanning 15km.
The lines are to be linked by a bridge over the Straits of Johor, which has a height clearance of 25m above water level, as revealed in the agreement.
Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak witnessed the signing of the agreement by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan during the annual Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat in Putrajaya.
Both the countries earlier inked a Memorandum of Understanding for the project in July.
There will be an express service between the two terminal stations – Jurong East in Singapore and Bandar Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur; a shorter shuttle service connecting Singapore and Iskandar Puteri in Johor; and a domestic service linking the seven stations in Malaysia.
The two countries will award a joint tender for a development partner early next year, to provide operational and technical advice as well as procurement advice relating to high-speed railway systems
