LONDON: Malaysia and Singapore are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on the high-speed rail (HSR) project in July.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this in his opening remarks before a closed-door session with nearly 30 top United Kingdom fund managers here yesterday.
“The high-speed rail project (linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore) has aroused a lot of excitement worldwide.
“We expect to sign an MoU with Singapore in July. That’s the target.
“That’s a huge game-changer. That means from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, the travel time will be 1½ hours,” he said.
Najib cited the HSR project as one of the many projects that were taking place in Malaysia to improve the country’s infrastructure and boost the economy.
These include the Pan-Borneo Highway, the Pengerang Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project, and the Malaysian Vision Valley project in Nilai, Negri Sembilan, he said.
Najib gave no further details.
Diplomats said both Najib and his Singapore counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, were expected to witness the signing of the HSR MoU in Kuala Lumpur.
The actual date in July has not been fixed.
But this signing could be held outside their annual “Leaders’ Retreat”, which this year could be held in October or December, depending on their availability.
The MoU will pave the way for detailed negotiation of the main agreement on the planning, development, execution and the operations of the high-speed rail linking the two capitals.