Businesses ranging from advisors financial institutions, project management and technical consultants to civil and construction firms, rolling stock and system providers, and operators, have submitted requests. European companies make up 56 of the respondents, with 13 from Malaysia, seven from Singapore, and 13 from east Asia, and the rest coming from North America, Australasia, and the Middle East.

The governments of Singapore and Malaysia expect to finalise the commercial model and procurement approach for the project by the end of the year.

"We are grateful for the strong feedback that the market has provided us on our project," says Mr Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah, CEO of Malaysia Land Transport Authority (Spad) and Mr Chew Men Leong, CEO of Land Transport Authority of Singapore, in a joint statement. "We will study the responses thoroughly and consider how the project's commercial model and procurement approach can be further improved."

The 330km proposed line aims to cut travel times between the terminus stations at Kuala Lumpur's Bandar Malaysia and Singapore's Jurong East to 1h 30min.

The governments of both countries announced in May that due to the scale and complexity of the project a revised timeline was necessary because the launch date of 2020 agreed by the two countries in February 2013 could not be met.