The proposed high-speed rail linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore will not be built along the existing North-South highway in peninsula Malaysia, said the head of the country's Land Public Transport Commission, Syed Hamid Albar.
MALAYSIA: The proposed high-speed rail linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore will not be built along the existing North-South highway in peninsula Malaysia, said the head of the country's Land Public Transport Commission, Syed Hamid Albar.
Mr Syed Hamid said the high-speed rail is expected to pass through Nusajaya in Johor state before crossing the straits into Singapore.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia, he disclosed that technical teams from both sides are now ironing out details, including the modality and cost structure.
He said: "There are two parts. One part is the cost of building up to Singapore, how much is the the Singapore portion, the other part is on operating. Our Prime Minister has talked about whether Singapore is interested in an operating company for the high-speed rail, as even though coming into Singapore, the distance is very short it's very costly."
The pricing of tickets, said Mr Syed Hamid, will be market-driven and affordable, and probably benchmarked against the average economy airline ticket.
So far, several consortiums have shown interest in bidding for the multi-billion dollar project. They include MMC Gamuda, UEM and YTL Corporation.
