HSR rail project: Azmin holds meeting with Singapore minister
FMT Reporters | August 14, 2018
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan will take whatever was discussed to Singapore Cabinet for decision.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia and Singapore held a meeting in the republic on Saturday to discuss the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.
The Straits Times, which confirmed this today, said the meeting was held between Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali and the republic’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
Azmin told the daily the meeting was “good and productive”.
“I explained Malaysia’s position on the project. The minister said he will have to bring it to Singapore’s Cabinet,” Azmin said.
There have been doubts whether the 350km rail project, started by the previous Barisan Nasional administration, would proceed after the Pakatan Harapan government came to power following the May 9 general election.
The main concern has been over the cost of the project, with the PH government claiming it had inherited RM1 trillion in debts.
Malaysia will have to pay penalties if it cancels the rail project, agreed to in December 2016.
Malaysia wants to defer the project which was supposed to be completed in 2026.
Azmin now estimates the HSR project will cost RM110 billion.
He said this was more than the amount estimated by the previous BN government, which had put the cost at between RM54 billion and RM74 billion. He claimed the higher figure included hidden costs.
The Straits Times reported that Singapore had already spent about S$250 million (RM744 million) on the project and is likely to pour in another S$40 million by the end of the year.
Singapore had requested a meeting to be held by July 31 for Putrajaya to throw more light on whether the HSR will proceed.
Previously, it was reported that Azmin had met some “senior officials” in Singapore when he visited Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who had undergone surgery to remove a growth in his pancreas.
Singapore’s transport ministry, however, clarified on Aug 7 that no meeting had taken place with Singapore officials overseeing the HSR.
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