Why Malaysia is pulling out of the high-speed rail project

An artist's impression of Batu Pahat station on the KL-Singapore HSR line. Malaysia has cancelled the project as its price tag is said to be prohibitive. PHOTO: EDELMAN
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KUALA LUMPUR • The moment it became clear that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had won the May 9 elections, the writing was on the wall for various signature projects under former premier Najib Razak.

Among them are the now-shelved third MRT line planned for the Klang Valley, the China-backed East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), and the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project with Singapore.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 03, 2018, with the headline Why Malaysia is pulling out of the high-speed rail project. Subscribe