MALAYSIA’s MyHSR is launching a Request for Information (RFI) exercise inviting the private sector to officially submit concept proposals to develop and operate the proposed Kuala Lumpur - Singapore high-speed line under a public-private partnership (PPP).

MyHSR says it is proceeding with the RFI following positive responses to its initial input gathering exercise launched in March. It says it engaged with selected private companies during this process to understand the level of interest, capabilities and resource requirements to make the project sustainable.

The RFI will be open to local and international firms and consortia and will assist the government of Malaysia to make informed decisions on the project.

A project to build a new 350km high-speed line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was cancelled in 2021 after the governments of Malaysia and Singapore failed to reach a compromise over costs for the project, which was suspended in September 2018 to enable a review to take place. Civil works consortia were appointed for the project, which was planned to run from Banadar, Kuala Lumpur, to Jurong East, Singapore, serving seven stations. The project was announced in 2013, with both countries signing a bilateral agreement to support the scheme in 2016.

The RFI is described as an initiative by the Malaysian government to reactivate the Kuala Lumpur - Singapore project using new funding mechanisms and implementation models in efforts to further improve the rail transport infrastructure and to invigorate the national economy.

“The KL-SG HSR project will bring tremendous benefits to the people, particularly in enhancing and expanding economic dynamism from the Klang Valley to the Southern Corridor of the peninsula, and eventually to the rest of Malaysia,” says Mr Haji Fauzi Bin Abdul Rahman, chairman of MyHSR. “In addition to providing a new travel option that is safer, faster, more efficient and sustainable, the project will help us to contribute to the agenda of Malaysia Madani, generating long-term growth and sustainability for the people and the nation,”

The RFI process opened on July 12 and is due to close on November 15 2023. RFI documents will be available for collection from August 11 to August 14. An RFI briefing will take place on July 27 in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur.

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