The heads of government in Singapore and Malaysia have signed an agreement regarding the construction of a new high speed railway link. The new railway link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore will be around 350 kilometers long and the travel time between the two cities will be reduced to about 90 minutes. At the moment there are no railway links between the two cities, and travelers take around 4 hours to make the journey by car.
The project will include the construction of 8 new railway stations and a bridge over the Johor straits, which will be around 25 meters’ high. Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and Malaysia’s Head of Government, Najib Razak, signed the historic agreement as a milestone of the relationship between the two countries. The countries hope the shortened travel time will result in more stable cultural, social, and above all more intensive economic, relationships.
Tenders in 2017
According to statements from the two heads of government, the most competitive providers should be chosen when assigning the contracts. The project has generated a lot of interest in countries with their own high speed trains – China, Japan and Korea – and has already generated a great deal of lobbying activity. No decisions have however be made yet regarding the assignment of contracts.
The two countries will issue a call for tenders in the first quarter of 2017 for consultation services in relation to operational, technical and procurement aspects. In the fourth quarter a call for international tenders is to be issued for the planning, construction, financing and also maintenance and operation of the route.
Country consultation for South-East Asia from March 27 to 31, 2017, in Zurich
Additional information:
The Straits Times Singapore (EN)
Competitive bids expected for Singapore - Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail project (EN)
