Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Bhd (PUNB) expects its entrepreneurs to secure at least RM1 billion worth of contracts from the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.

Chairman Senator Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam said this included maintenance contracts upon completion of the project.

"(For HSR) We don't set a target of how many millions of ringgit, nor how many entrepreneurs (would succeed), but for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, we have secured RM23 million contracts to date," he told reporters after the 'PUNB Biz Challenges' prizes presentation here today.

HSR, which is estimated to cost between RM60 billion and RM65 billion, involves the construction of a 350-km railway track and eight stations, namely in Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat, Iskandar Puteri and Singapore.

The project is expected to reduce travelling time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes compared with seven to eight hours currently by train or four to five hours by car.

Mohd Ali urged new entrepreneurs to vie for mega projects that could bring huge impact on their business and the country's economy such as the MRT, Bandar Malaysia and the HSR.

He said new generation of entrepreneurs should leverage PUNB's expertise for business guidance, successful businessmen equipped with technologies, as well as government agencies, so that they would not miss any opportunity coming their way.

"They can come to us (for advice). The project owners will give them work, while we (PUNB) and other agencies will provide them financing and technical advice.

"By doing so, we can create more new technopreneurs," Mohd Ali said.

He also called on Malaysian companies, which had been awarded mega projects, to subcontract them to qualified PUNB entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, PUNB chief executive Datuk Dzulkifli Fadzilah said the corporation had disbursed RM145 million in loans to 350 entrepreneurs throughout the country as at September this year.

"We expect to exceed our target of RM150 million (financing) by year-end," he added. -- Bernama