High-speed rail MOU to be inked soon: Najib

An aerial view taken from a drone of the Jurong Country Club site, where the high-speed rail terminus will be located. PHOTO: ST FILE

KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore by the middle of this year for the development of a high-speed rail (HSR) linking both countries, Prime Minister Najib Razak has said.

"We expect to sign MOU in the middle of this year with Singapore," he said yesterday.

The proposed HSR link was shelved temporarily last year owing to budgetary concerns on the Malaysian side.

In his keynote address at the 12th InvestKL conference, Datuk Seri Najib said the development projects under the 11th Malaysia Plan would remain unaffected despite the government having to revise its Budget and cut spending in response to the drop in crude oil prices. He said the government had structured the reduction in expenditure in such a way that it would not affect public service delivery.

"The HSR link to Singapore; the Pan Borneo Highway; the MRT and LRT; the Pengerang in Johor - they are all still going ahead... we need them," Mr Najib said, noting that these projects would be part of Malaysia's future.

The 350km HSR link, which is expected to cut travel time to 90 minutes, will have terminus stations in Kuala Lumpur's Bandar Malaysia and Singapore's Jurong East.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 13, 2016, with the headline High-speed rail MOU to be inked soon: Najib. Subscribe