https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/s...ensation-to-singapore-if-hsr-dropped-mahathir
PETALING JAYA - The Malaysian government is looking at how it might reduce the compensation it has to pay to Singapore if it decides to drop the
Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project.
"The terms and agreement for the HSR are such that if we decide to drop the project, it would cost us a lot of money," he said.
"We have entered into an agreement with Singapore. If we break the agreement, we have to pay a very large sum of money."
The HSR is estimated to cost up to RM50 billion, and will slash the travelling time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes when completed in 2026.
Most of the line - 335km of it - will be in Malaysia, with the remaining 15km in Singapore. The HSR will have eight stops - seven in Malaysia and one in Jurong East.
The Land Transport Authority called for tenders for the design and construction of tunnels and associated facilities for Singapore's end of the HSR last month, with construction expected to start next year.
Early this month, Mr Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal, chief executive of MyHSR Corporation, the state firm tasked with implementing the HSR on the Malaysian side, estimated that Malaysia could lose RM209 billion in gross national income if the project was scrapped.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said on Saturday it would be a waste if the project were to fall through.