Malaysia seeks proposals to revive high-speed rail project with Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Tuesday said it was seeking proposals from private firms to develop a high-speed railway between its capital Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring Singapore, reviving a multi-billion-dollar project called off more than two years ago.

Malaysia and Singapore had cancelled a plan to build a 350-kilometre (217-mile) rail line connecting the two countries after they failed to agree on several proposed changes to the project.

At the time the project was estimated to cost around $17 billion and companies from China, Japan, South Korea and Europe had expressed an interest in contracts to build, operate and finance the trains and rail assets.

In a statement on Tuesday, MyHSR Corp, a Malaysian-government owned entity responsible for the project, called for the private sector to submit proposals to develop and operate the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project via a public-private partnership model.

MyHSR invited local and international firms and consortia to submit proposals.

"(The process) marks the government's initiative to reactivate the ... project via new funding mechanisms and implementation models in efforts to further improve the rail transport infrastructure and to invigorate the national economy," it said.

Singapore's transport ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Singapore indicated last year the country is open to fresh proposals from Malaysia on the project, according to media.