Malaysia and Singapore will soon discuss the high-speed rail project linking the city-state and Kuala Lumpur, according to Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, Chairman of Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
"The high-speed rail is for Malaysia. It is an exciting project. If the government decides to go ahead with the project, the engagement will be at the top level. There are many parties interested in the project," he said in a report by the Business Times Malaysia.
"There are certain decisions that need to be made by thegovernment like whether the high-speed rail will link Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru, or Singapore."
"SPAD will put forward its recommendations to the government after completing the feasibility study. The government will have 2012 to make its own decision before approaching Singapore. The study is positive so far."
To date, SPAD is conducting the second stage of the feasibility study, which is determining the stops in-between, the terminal points and rail line's alignment.
Azmi Abdul Aziz, Chief Development Officer at SPAD, noted that the tenders for the project are expected to be called by end-2013.
Regarding the project's cost, Azmi confirmed that 95 percent of the investments will be domestic driven; 30 percent of the cost will go to rolling stocks, while 60 percent will be for infrastructure development.
The cost will also "depend on the alignment in Malaysia" and whether the project would involve an underground rail link, revealed sources.
Moreover, the high-speed rail link is expected to span from 300km to 400km.
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